Finding Lost Love
by Stargazer9
Summary: After the final tournament, everyone returns home, but Rei finds that he isn't happy in China anymore. Can anyone help him find happiness or will he be alone forever?
1. In the Eye of the Tiger

Chapter 1: In the Eye of the Tiger

"Flight 3120 to Beijing will now be boarding. Passengers please begin boarding through the flight terminal at this time. Again, Flight 3120 to Beijing will now begin boarding."

Rei took his time gathering his carryon bags together as he heard his flight being called over the intercom. The championships were over and the BEGA league had been stopped. The fight was now over. After a few days of rest, it was time to get back to the normal routine of life. They had fought their battle and won. Max would be staying in Japan with his father and his mother would be joining them there. Tyson would be going back to the dojo with his grandpa and Kenny would go back home. Not long after they had returned to Tyson's home after the final battle between Tyson and Brooklyn, they had discovered Kai already gone. He had been no where to be found and Tala had left the hospital. There had been a flight to Moscow the day before and they could only guess that Kai had returned to Russia with Tala. The two had become very close during the last tournament. Being teammates again had bonded them together once again. It was visible to everyone.

Rei, however, would be going back to the village in China. He had become close to his old teammates once again, but not as close as they had been. He just didn't feel like he belonged there anymore. However, he really didn't have anywhere else to go. So here he was in the airport waiting for the flight back to China. Maybe things would calm down and he could figure out what he wanted to do with his life. Drigger would always be near and dear to him, but it was time to move on in life, move past a life full of beyblade tournaments and travel. It was time to do something with his life. Unfortunately, Rei had absolutely no clue what that something was. Kai had his own life left to him by his grandfather, Voltaire. He had a life in Russia to clean up and organize, and a house to make his own. All through the pressures and troubles he would have Tala, Bryan, Ian, and Spencer to support him. Tyson would begin training to take over the Dojo with his grandfather and most likely Hiro. Kenny would begin concentrating on school. The chief was a genius and now he could make something of it. Max would probably work with his dad in the part shop and have a happy life at home with both his parents now.

What did Rei have to go home to? He couldn't really think of much. He had Lee, Kevin, Mariah, and Gary, sure. But things would never be like they were before. He lived alone and even in the village, the others had their own lives to live. Rei really didn't have anything. He wasn't really happy in the village anymore. He couldn't even really life a quiet peaceful life there. The people of the village saw him and the others as celebrities now. While Rei was trying to move on from beyblading, the kids of the village would be consistently chasing after him for lessons. They would then begin asking about things outside the village. They would want to hear all the stories he could tell about his travels around the world. Then Rei would begin to think about everyone and remember how alone he was now. He hadn't even told the others when his flight would be leaving. He didn't want to actually say goodbye to anyone. He thought it would be too painful. They would have wanted to see him off and then they would have asked questions about him going home. He wasn't ready to talk to them about all that yet. He wasn't ready to admit to them that he was lonely, that he wasn't happy.

"This is the final boarding call for flight 3120 to Beijing. This is the final boarding call for flight 3120 to Beijing. Passengers please finalize check in and board the flight."

'Well, I guess this is it. It's time to head back to an empty house. Am I destined to be surrounded by people and yet still be lonely? How many people will still truly be friends?' Rei sighed to himself as he walked through the terminal and boarded the plane. Thankfully he had a window seat and was able to keep to himself throughout the flight. Lee and Mariah would be meeting him at the airport and he had to brace himself for the reunion. It was going to be a very long flight.

"Lee, how much longer do we have to wait?" Mariah moaned as they waited for the arrival of Rei's flight.

Lee sighed as he heard the same question for the fifteenth time. He wrapped his arms around Mariah and pulled her closer to him. "It should be here soon Mariah. You'll just have to hold your horses. Rei's probably going to be tired when he gets in too, so don't hover and crowd around him playing mother hen. Give him a little space, alright?"

Mariah nodded and rolled her eyes at her teammate and boyfriend. They had gotten together after they had returned from the tournament. Mariah couldn't wait to share the news with Rei. Rei was like a brother to her and she told him everything. She was looking forward to him coming home again. She hoped they would all be able to settle down into the regular routine now. They had all spent so much time traveling and running around the world, they barely knew up from down anymore. She smiled as she saw a familiar form exit the gate. She nudged Lee in the shoulder and pointed as she stood to go welcome their friend home.

"Rei, it's good to see you again, welcome home." Lee smiled as he clasped Rei's hand in his.

Rei forced a smile to his lips. "Yeah, home, good to be back."

Lee raised an eyebrow at his friend as Mariah watched curiously from behind.

"Rei, are you ok? You don't seem so happy to be home." Mariah hugged Rei in welcome.

Rei forced another smile to his lips as he looked at Mariah. "Yeah, everything's fine. I guess I'm just tired. I'm ready to go home and get some peace and quiet, that's all."

"Ok, then. Let's get your bags and head out of here, everyone will be happy to see you Rei." Lee grabbed Rei's carryon as he guided him out of the airport.

Mariah hung back behind the two as she watched Rei shuffle along in front of her. 'What's wrong with you Rei? The attitude you have now isn't the Rei I remember. Something is bugging you and I'm going to find out what.'

When they arrived back at the village, it seemed like a festival had been called in order to celebrate. Even though he simply wanted to go home and crawl into bed, he couldn't just walk away from so many people who had looked forward to welcoming him home. So Rei slid through the crowd, greeting as many people as he could. He felt like he was passed back and forth from person to person as conversations and questions flew at him from all directions. Soon, he was found by a group of kids who wanted him to blade with them. He excused himself from the group he was currently with and followed the kids over to the dish they always used. Mariah watched him carefully as he walked away. She could tell that something was definitely unusual with Rei and she quickly found Lee to question him about it. She found him with the village elders discussing the possibility of the White Tigers competing the following year.

"Excuse me elder, but may I borrow Lee for a few minutes? I'd like to speak to him about something."

The village elder simply smiled at her and nodded his approval. Lee then held Mariah's hand in his as they found a quiet corner where they could speak privately for a few moments. "Lee, have you noticed anything wrong with Rei since we picked him up at the airport? He seems a little down to me."

"He seems a bit quiet yeah, but it's probably all the traveling. We thought we traveled a lot for the tournament but he's been traveling even longer. I'm sure he's just exhausted from the trips running everywhere around the world. He just needs some quiet time. I'll give those kids just a little while longer and I'll steal Rei and take him home to get some rest. You'll see, tomorrow he'll be just fine."

Mariah frowned as she watched her boyfriend wander back into the crowd. "I don't know Lee. I hope you're right, but it seems like more than that. He's distant."

An hour later, Lee found Rei and the children. He sent the children home for dinner and walked Rei back home. He decided that he may as well voice Mariah's concern. "Rei, is everything alright? Are you sure you're just tired?"

Rei hesitated only a moment before responding. "Yeah, everything's fine Lee. I told you, I'm just tired from all the globe trotting. I'll be fine, don't worry about me."

Lee shook his head. "I just thought I'd make sure. Mariah was worried. She thinks you've been kind of quiet and distant since you came back. You've been giving attention to everyone, sure, but you haven't been yourself."

Rei glared at his friend. "I'm fine Lee, just drop it, ok?"

Lee simply stared at his angered friend. "Alright Rei, I'm sorry if I'm being pushy. We just want you to be happy."

Rei sighed and rested a hand on Lee's shoulder as they reached the door to his house. "No, I'm sorry for snapping at you. I'll be fine, I promise. I think I just need some sleep ok? Tell Mariah thanks for worrying, but I'll be fine. Look, I'll see you guys sometime tomorrow ok?"

"Alright Rei, get some sleep and we'll see you tomorrow."

Rei nodded and walked in the door. Inside he was surrounded by dead silence. "Honey, I'm home, if it mattered to anyone." Rei sighed once again and set his bags down in a corner of the bedroom before changing and crawling under the covers. "I never noticed how quiet it was here. Now it seems almost too quiet." He continued to toss and turn for awhile before he finally fell into a restless sleep. Shortly after, tears began slipping from beneath the long lashes of the closed lids.


	2. Return of the Phoenix

Chapter 2 : Return of the Phoenix

Mariah greeted her boyfriend at the door with a gentle kiss in the late evening. "How is Rei doing Lee? Did you make sure he got away and made it home?"

Lee nodded with a pensive face. "He's home ok. Although I think you're right. I think there is something wrong with him."

"What happened tonight, Lee?" Mariah sat on the couch as Lee related his story to her.

"He snapped at me. I asked him if he was sure he was ok and he snapped at me. It's not like Rei to snap at people. I'm worried Mariah. Something is bugging him and I don't know what. I can tell you one thing for sure though. He isn't happy here anymore. Did you pick up on how he resisted going home tonight? He didn't want to go back at first. I was going to offer for him to stay here with us, but he insisted he would be ok."

Mariah hugged Lee as she sighed once more for the evening. "We'll have to take him at his word for now Lee. We'll try to figure out what exactly is going on, but I don't think he's happy here anymore. Do you promise not to get mad at me if I make a suggestion Lee?"

"What are you talking about Mariah?"

"Just promise you won't get mad if I make a suggestion."

"I promise Mariah. If you think you know a way we can help Rei, tell me. We have to help him somehow. We can't let him linger like this. He's running away from something. Either that or he's just as clueless as we are."

Mariah looked down at her lap and her voice was barely loud enough to hear. "I think we should send him back to the Bladebreakers Lee."

"What are you talking about Mariah? He just left them to come home."

She looked back up to Lee with sad eyes. "I know Lee, but what if he didn't think he had much of a choice? As far as Rei was concerned, he still had a home here to come back to and he didn't have anywhere else to go. What if it's the Bladebreakers he needs to be around? He left the village once Lee. Rei can't be cooped up here for the rest of his life. This place is not the place for him. Even when he came back to us before, he was never really as happy with us as he was with them. What does he honestly have here Lee? He has us, yes, but nothing FOR himself. He has people here Lee, that's it. He is still young yet and he has nothing to challenge himself. There is nothing for him to work for. Rei is not meant for this village life. He was meant to be out there. He was meant to study and work. He is not meant to plant and raise livestock. Can't you see that Lee? I don't want him to leave us, but if it means his happiness, I would rather send him away and tell him to keep in touch. We can always write letters back and forth and we can always visit. He can always come back to visit. But Rei is done with living here. You can't tell me, that after seeing him this afternoon, that he is honestly living the life he wants. He is living what the village wants for him."

Lee leaned his head on her shoulder as he took a deep breath. "I know Mariah. I didn't want to see it, but you're right. The village isn't the place for him. Do you think you can write a letter to the bladebreakers this evening and get it sent off tomorrow?"

Mariah smiled. "I'll have a letter sent to Max tomorrow morning. Hopefully by the end of the week they'll be able to plan something."

Lee gently kissed his girlfriend as they both headed upstairs for some much needed rest.

Rei awoke late the next morning to a knocking on the door. He pulled himself out of bed and dragged himself out to answer the door. 'This had better be good. I really didn't want to get out of bed.' When he opened the door, he found Lee in front of him. Rei glared and stepped aside to allow his friend inside. "What are you doing here so early Lee? I just got out of bed?"

Lee frowned at the tiger. "Rei, the sun has been up for several hours already. It's going on early afternoon. Were you that tired?"

Rei frowned as well and led the lion over to the couch in the living room. "Oh, I didn't realize it was that late. Where's Mariah?"

"She just went to meet the mail delivery. She had a few letters to send out this morning."

Rei looked up curiously. "Mariah is sending letters out? Who is she writing to? I didn't know she was keeping in touch with anyone outside the village."

Lee laughed. "Yeah, well, she was happy to meet other girls in the sport, so she swapped addresses with the other girls during the last tournament. Who knows, given the chance Mariah may join up with the other girls and make their own team for the next tournament."

Rei gave a small laugh and looked away out the window. "Yeah, maybe they will. We'll just have to wait and see."

Lee looked at his friend in concern again. "Look, Rei, if there is something you want to ask of us, or tell us, you know you can. We'll support you in anything. You know that right?"

Rei turned an angry stare to the lion. "Look, Lee, just leave it alone, ok?"

Lee stood and gave his friend a saddened expression. "Rei, we both know you aren't happy here. Mariah went this morning to send word to the bladebreakers that you weren't happy here. She's asked them to make arrangements to meet you back in Japan and help you set up a place to stay there."

Rei jumped up and stormed over to his friend. "How dare you. Why are you two to butt into my life? I don't need you to make decisions for me. This is my home and I'll be damned if I let you force me out of it. First you didn't want me to leave and now you're forcing me? What's wrong Lee? Feel threatened? Think I'll take over your position as captain? I'm not blading anymore Lee. Your place as captain is safe and secure. Are you happy?"

Lee shoved the angry tiger back down onto the sofa and stared at him. "No, I'm not happy. No, I'm not threatened. If you hadn't noticed, Mariah and I have gotten together and started a life together here. I could care less about blading as long as we have each other. You are not happy here Rei. Home is where your heart rests and your heart is not here in this village. It may not even be in Japan but right now that is all we could think of to help you. You can't continue to sit and mope around the house everyday and let life pass you by. You think we want to force you to leave? You don't know us very well anymore then. Either that or you aren't thinking clearly anymore. Mariah and I just want you to be happy and if that means being away from this village somewhere out there, than so be it. Right now as you sit here, you are not the Rei we know and love. So don't talk to me about butting into your life, because obviously you need somebody to do just that. When you think you can speak civilly and with a cool head, you know where to find me. We only wanted to help. Unfortunately, it's going to be up to you to accept that help. So it's your choice. You know where the house is. Come find me when you're ready to face the fact that you don't have to do what everyone else wants you to."

Rei sat silently and watched Lee storm out of the house. He looked out the window and saw Mariah meet him in the middle of the path and follow him back towards their house. Rei slowly eased himself down across the couch as tears pricked the backs of his eyelids. "I will not cry again. I was done with that last night. I will not cry over this. They don't know what they are talking about. I can't just up and leave again. It's not that simple. Where would I go? Then again, he said Mariah was going to ask the guys to help find a place for me to stay. What am I doing? I'm pushing everyone away from me. I don't want to. I just want to find my own life. I don't know what I want, so how could they? This is where I've always lived, there is no other place. What am I going to do?" Rei continued to run questions through his head until he couldn't think anymore and just lay there on the couch, crying himself back to sleep.

"Lee, what happened? Why are you so mad? Lee, wait, calm down and talk to me." Mariah continued to follow her boyfriend along the small dirt road that lead through the village. He took a detour along a smaller path that led up to one of the cliff ledges. Finally he sat down in a small grassy area and took a deep breath to calm himself as he looked out over the valley. "Lee what's wrong? What happened when you went to talk to Rei?"

"He's not thinking right at the moment Mariah. He just riled me up, that's all."

Mariah sat down and pulled his head around to look at her. "What happened over there Lee?"

Lee sighed and turned back around to stare out over the valley again. "I told him you had sent word to the bladebreakers. It didn't go over so well. He was mad that we were meddling in his life. Said we were trying to force him to leave and that he thought I felt threatened by him as far as the team goes. He said we don't need to make his decisions for him."

Mariah sighed and wrapped her arms around the riled lion. "He didn't mean it Lee. Like you said, he's not thinking straight. He's confused and trying to work things out in his own mind and he doesn't know what he wants. Rei is being defensive right now. He's going to try to run away from facts so he can keep living up to the life everyone expected of him. I'm pretty sure he's shoving us away because he doesn't even realize he's doing it. Just give him some time to calm down. I sent a letter to both Max and Kai. They should get them within a few days and then within the week we should know something more. Until then, we just have to keep an eye on Rei and let him sort things out for himself."

The couple sat at the top of the cliff and leaned against each other as they took in the view and enjoyed each others company.

"MAXIE! MAIL CALL!" Judy down the stairs to where her son and husband were working on some new blade parts for the shop.

It didn't take long for Max to come thundering up the stairs to answer her call. He quickly picked the letter up off the counter and looked at where it was from. "Hmm, it's from China, it must be from Rei. I wonder what he's up to." He quickly opened the letter as he sat down at the table to read the letter. He was quickly surprised to see that the letter was from Mariah and not Rei.

"Dear Max,

I know I'm one of the last people you expected to hear from. I wish I was writing under better circumstances. Lee and I are worried about Rei. He's only been home for less than a day and already something doesn't seem right. He's not happy here anymore. I don't know why he felt he absolutely had to come home. Don't get me wrong, we love having him here. But he's just not happy here anymore. He's keeping himself distant from everyone and he's been snappy. Lee tried to ask him if anything was wrong and Rei told him to leave him alone. The Rei that came home to the village isn't the Rei we know and love. We don't exactly wish him to leave, but we don't want him to feel he has to stay here to please everyone else. We don't want him to stay here if he's not happy. That's the biggest thing I can tell you Max, is that he's not happy. If he stays here, I fear he won't ever be. Our Rei was meant to do other things with his life than live in this village. It is no longer the place for him. I'm not sure where he should be anymore but it's not here. Maybe if he were to regroup with you and your team he could find where he belongs. We're asking for your help Max. We will arrange for him to be on a flight back to Japan if that is what you and your team thinks is best. Just send word back to us and let us know if you can meet him there. I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Mariah

Max quickly looked back up to his mom. "Hey mom, I'm going out for a bit. I need to talk to Tyson and the guys. I'll be home for dinner, ok?"

Judy smiled at her son. "Ok Maxie, is everything ok?"

"I hope so mom. I think Rei may be coming back to stay for awhile in Japan. I just have to talk to the guys about it and give them a heads up. We also need to get in touch with Kai. Rei was closest to him I think. He should be given a heads up on what's going on."

Judy hugged her son as he walked out the door to meet the rest of his team.

Knock, knock, knock

"Hold on, I'm coming." Tyson made his way down the walkway to answer the door. When he opened it up he was greeted by the sight of Max, Hillary, and Kenny. They all looked a little serious. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"We need to talk about Rei." Max handed Tyson the letter he had received as they all followed him to the main room.

Tyson quickly read through the letter and seated himself within the circle they all formed as they sat on the floor of the main room. "From the looks of this letter, I don't think there's much debate. Rei can stay here while he figures things out. We have the spare room. I agree with Mariah, Rei doesn't belong there anymore. He belongs here with us. So when do we meet him?"

Max smiled. "I thought you would agree with us. I'll send word to Mariah as soon as we get in touch with Kai. You know he and Rei were pretty close friends. I think he needs to know what's going on. He may want to come back for a bit to help Rei. Do you have a number where I can reach him?"

"Yeah, Tala made sure to leave me a note to keep in touch. He knew Kai would never do it himself." Tyson got up and went to retrieve the number Tala had given him in case they needed to get in touch with them. He was back within minutes. "Here you go Max, give Kai a call and let me know what the plans are. I'll go with you to pick Rei up at the airport and bring him back here."

Max and everyone nodded and departed back to their own houses. As soon as Max walked in the door, he was on the phone to Kai and Tala. The phone rang a couple of times before someone picked up.

"Hello, Bryan speaking"

"Bryan? It's Max. Is Kai there?"

"No, he left this morning. He got a letter from China about Rei and was on the next flight out."

"Mariah sent him a letter too? Ok, well did he fill you in on any details?"

"Nope, he just said he was on his way to China to see Rei. He told Tala he wouldn't be longer than a week. He has his cell phone in case we needed to get in touch with him. We were planning to call him later this evening, would you like me to pass a message along to him?"

Max smiled into the phone. Kai was also quicker to act than any of them had ever been. "Could you please Bryan? Tell him we've arranged for Rei to stay here with Tyson for as long as he needs to. We'll meet him at the airport when they arrive. Just have him give me a call and let me know when they should be in."

"Ok, Max. I'll tell him. Good luck. I hope you guys can bring the tiger around. It sounds like he's gotten himself depressed and into quite the situation to me. I hope you can help him. We'll have Kai call you when he gets his plans together. And Max?"

"Yeah Bryan?"

"Could you give us a call when he's settled in and let us know how things are going. We'd like to know he's doing ok."

Max smiled at Bryan's concern. "No problem Bryan. I'm sure Rei would be happy to know you care."

Bryan grumbled into the phone. "Quit goofing Max. We just want to know he's ok. Tala, Spence, and Ian included. We'll talk to you later."

"Bye Bryan. We'll call again soon."

Max smiled and went to join his parents for dinner. He thought it would throw an interesting curve into the works if Bryan was worried like he was over Rei. It would be interesting to see where that went and he wanted a front row seat.

Knock, knock, knock.

Rei grumbled as he lay in bed for the fourth evening in a row. He rolled over and tried to ignore the incessant knocking.

Knock, knock, knock.

'Stupid people, can't they just leave me alone. I don't want to go out. I just want to stay here alone.' Rei rolled over and pulled himself out of bed and went to answer the door. 'It's probably Lee again.' Rei turned the handle and pulled the door open. "Look, Lee, I told you to just leave me alone. I just want to be alone for awhile…" Rei's plea drifted off as he saw who was at the front door.

"Hello, Rei. It's good to see you too."

"Kai, what are you doing here?"


	3. Leaving the Past Behind

Chapter 3 : Leaving the Past Behind

"Kai, what are you doing here?"

"Can I come inside and talk or are you going to make me stand out here all night?" Kai asked as he gestured around himself. Rei opened the door wider and invited him in. Kai stepped in and followed the tired looking tiger to the main room. "I got a letter from Mariah. She's worried about you. I have to say that after reading her letter, I was a little worried too. I booked the next flight here. You don't even look like yourself anymore Rei. What's going on?"

Rei scowled at the phoenix. "What are you guys talking about? Lee was trying to say the same thing. There's nothing going on. I'm just really worn out from hopping around the world so much lately. I needed to take some time out to relax. I am still perfectly myself."

"Then why are your eyes so dark? They don't shine like they use to. You have circles under your eyes the size of my thumb and according to Lee you do nothing but sleep anymore. You've lost a little weight already in less than a week so I would guess you're not eating much."

"Kai, I don't need you joining in with the gang, ok? I'm doing fine. I'm just doing what I feel I need to do. I'm trying to get my life going here ok? It takes time to get things in order."

Kai slapped him and the crack was heard across the room. Rei sat there and stared at him in shock. "Don't give me that crap Rei. If you keep up the way you have been, you'll be in a hospital in another week at the most. You're like a brother to me Rei. I don't want to get that phone call. You're running away from life. You're not trying to move on with it. What is you're problem? Why do you have a hard time grasping that?"

"There's not much I can do in this village Kai. Here, I can't afford to make a wrong decision."

"So why do you have to stay here? Apparently you're not happy here. You don't belong here anymore Rei."

"This is my home Kai. I can't just leave because I hit a rough time."

"What is holding you here Rei? What do you have? The White Tigers? You're pushing them away as it is. If you keep up with the way you're going you won't have them much longer either."

Rei just sat on the couch with Kai standing in front of them. Within minutes tears were rolling down his face again. Kai knelt down in front of him and reached up to grasp Rei's hands in his lap. "Look, Rei. I don't want to upset you, but you have to see what you're doing to yourself. You can't keep doing this. You're locking yourself away from everyone who cares about you. Soon you're going to push yourself over the edge and we won't be able to help you."

"I want to accept your help, Kai. I swear I do. It's just that, this has always been my home. How can I just leave it?"

Kai reached up to lay a hand gently on Rei's cheek. "Do you honestly feel at home here anymore Rei? Homes change. This is just another house in another village. You can make a new home anywhere. The important thing is to make a home where you are happy. You aren't yourself anymore Rei. You need to find your own place and that isn't here."

Rei broke into sobs as he slid off of the couch into Kai's arms. Kai simply hugged the tiger closer to him. "Will you come back to Russia with me Rei?" Rei pulled back and stared at Kai for a moment. "Tala and Bryan were worried about you too. We'd like you to come stay with us and think things through. Tyson also offered a room at his place. It's your choice. I think things would be quieter if you came to stay with us. You can go to school if you want, or you can find a job if you want. I would rather have you closer where I can be there and help you Brother."

"You're right, I've been denying myself here. I was so caught up when the way things use to be that I ignored the way things have changed. I'll come to Russia with you Brother. I need you guys with me.

Kai smiled as Rei drifted off to sleep in his lap. They really had grown to become brothers. It had scared him when he had seen Rei open the door just a few moments before. He was happy to know the tiger would be returning with him where he could keep an eye on him. There was a spare room in the house that he, Tala, and Bryan were living in. They would happy to have the tiger join them. Tala had relayed the message Max had given to Bryan but he would feel better if Rei was in Russia with him. He had called Max and passed along his plan. He had promised Max that he would call if any plans changed or when they reached Russia. He gently picked Rei up and carried back to the bedroom. He slid Rei into the bed before crawling into the other side. He wanted to make sure we woke when Rei did. It had been a hard night for Rei already. Kai wanted to make sure that Rei knew he was there when he woke. Tomorrow would begin a big change in Rei's life and Kai hoped it would be for the better.

Rei yawned loudly as he woke to the morning sun. It took him a few moments to register that it was still early morning. The last few days he had slept in straight through till late mid afternoon. 'hmm, morning again. Do I really have to get up? I feel like death warmed over. I can't believe I dreamed Kai was here. Not only am I snapping at my friends here, but I'm dreaming of people I will probably never see again. I need to let go of that part of my life. I need to move on here. They aren't coming back for me. They could probably care less what happens to me now." He sighed loudly as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. It was getting harder for him to force himself out of bed each day. Golden orbs quickly flew back open and he tensed as an arm snaked around his waist.

"Good morning, Rei. Are you feeling any better today?"

Rei flipped over to see his dream come true. Kai had come to see him in the village. He actually cared. Last night had not been simply a dream. Tears formed in his eyes as he lay there and stared at the crimson eyed phoenix.

"Rei? Are you ok? What's wrong?" Kai frowned when Rei didn't respond. He sat up and placed a hand on Rei's shoulder. "Rei, what's wrong?"

"I thought it was a dream. I thought I imagined you coming here. I didn't think anyone cared enough. I thought I was still all alone. I'm happy that it wasn't just a dream."

Kai smiled as the friend he saw as a brother wrapped small arms around his neck and hugged him closely. "You won't be alone again Rei. Don't ever feel like that. Why don't we go have some breakfast and get you packed and ready to go to Russia, Okay?"

Rei smiled and got ready to take a shower as Kai found the kitchen and began making breakfast.

When Kai heard a loud knock on the door, he left the kitchen to answer it. He found Lee waiting on the other side. "Hello, Lee."

Lee stared in shock his fellow captain. "Kai, what are you doing here?"

Kai gave Lee an unfamiliar smile. "I got Mariah's letter and I was worried about Rei as well. I came to see him and ask him to move to Russia with me and the others."

Lee smiled gently as Kai slid to the side and motioned for Lee to enter the small home. "Did he accept? It could be very good for him. I just don't think this is home for him anymore."

Kai nodded and led Lee towards the kitchen. "He accepted. I'm going to help him move in with Tala, Bryan, and me. I think it could do him a lot of good. He'll be somewhere quiet and out of the spotlight yet he'll still be close to friends and so many opportunities. I was really worried when he opened that door last night. He hasn't been taking care of himself very well. Between the three of us, we can make sure he does. Here he has you guys, but you aren't here with him and he'll never actually stay with you guys if he has the house here."

Lee nodded in agreement. His ears twitched when he noticed the sound of the shower running. He looked at Kai with a puzzled expression. "Is he actually awake? He hasn't woken this early all week. I've tried to come over and wake him but he rolls over in bed and refuses to move."

Kai joined Lee at the table with a couple of plates of eggs. "He was asleep early last night. We had a discussion about what he's been doing to himself and he cried himself to sleep."

Lee frowned. "That's not everything and I know it. This week he's done nothing but sleep. He hasn't stayed in bed because he's tired. He stayed in bed because he wanted to hide away from the world."

Kai shrugged. "Well when he cried himself to sleep, I put him in bed. I figured he might be lonely in the morning or he might have a rough night, so I stayed with him. When he got up this morning he was facing the window and thought he dreamed everything that happened last night. When he discovered I was there, he was just happy to not be alone anymore. I told him to get up and I would help him get ready to go to Russia and he hopped in the shower."

He could see that Lee was having a hard time digesting everything that had happened over night. "How could he possibly think he was alone here? He has all of us, this entire village. He has never been alone."

Kai sighed and looked down at his plate as he started shoving his breakfast from side to side. "No, he was never really alone, but he felt he was. Lee, you guys all have each other and family to go back to at the end of the day. Rei doesn't have that. He has this empty house that reminds him that he has no one at home every time he walks through that door. You guys are perfectly happy with small village life, Rei isn't. He was never physically alone, but he felt miles away from anyone."

Lee was about to speak up again when he was interrupted by a voice from the doorway. "Lee, please don't think that I hate you guys. I don't." Rei sat gently on a side of the table between Kai and Lee. "Lee I've been around the world. I've seen, done, and experienced things you guys could never understand. There are so many things I experienced out there while you guys stayed here and prepared to start your own lives within the village. It's not wrong, and I don't resent you guys for it, but it doesn't change facts. I can't just forget what I've seen and keep myself confined here. I can't talk to you guys about some things because you simply won't understand."

Lee frowned, deep in thoughts. "Mariah and I knew it would probably come down to this. We knew you would leave again but that doesn't really mean I wanted or were ready for it to happen. But I do understand that you can't stay here and be happy. We just want you to be happy Rei and if it means moving to Russia, then do it."

Rei smiled and hugged his friend. "Thank you for understanding Lee. I promise I'll write and keep in touch. I won't forget you guys. We'll come visit again. You guys were just right. This isn't my home anymore. My home is somewhere out there." Rei then sat back down as they began to talk about plans over breakfast. Both captains were happy to see a smile grace the tiger's lips once again.

"Now Rei, you take care of yourself out there. Kai will send me word otherwise and then I'll come to visit and hound you until you do."

Rei laughed as he hugged Mariah goodbye. "I promise I will Mariah. I don't think that will be a problem while living with Kai, Tala, and Bryan. I won't be able to hide much from the three of them even if I wanted to. I promise I'll write and keep in touch."

Mariah and Lee smiled and stepped away from the tiger and phoenix as they picked up several bags. Rei was leaving the sparse furniture he owned at the house for when they came to visit. Lee and Mariah said they would pop in once in a while to dust and keep things clean. Lee shook hands with Kai as they prepared to depart ways. "Take care of him now Kai. We expect him to be in good hands and happy the next time we see him."

Both boys waved as they turned and headed for the bus that would take them to the airport in Beijing. Kai smiled as he saw the excited look on Rei's face. "Tala and Bryan are looking forward to seeing you as well. They were worried about you. You wouldn't believe it but they'll probably baby you for a few weeks first."

Rei turned a surprised face towards Kai. "Tala and Bryan were worried as well? I knew we had become friends but I didn't think we were that close."

Kai looked out the window as the bus traveled along the road. "They've changed a lot since the abbey. They've been allowed to feel emotion again. They're allowed to care and it shows how much they enjoy that feeling." Kai smiled as he thought of the new lengths Tala's personality had gone.

Rei quirked an eyebrow towards his friend. "What are you thinking about Kai?"

Kai turned back to face Rei. "Just wait until you see Tala. He's almost become a mother hen towards everyone. He keeps after Bryan and I to make sure we're not stressing out and that we're taking care of ourselves. He keeps right on track of what and when we eat, where we go when we're not with him. It was weird at first, but it suits him. He was the team captain before and he's still taking care of everyone."

Rei noticed the small hint of something new in Kai's eyes as he spoke of Tala. It was similar to what he had seen in Lee and Mariah's eyes through the last week. "Kai, is there something going on between you and Tala?"

Kai smiled faintly. "Well, kind of. We're there for each other. We care for each other. We enjoy each others company. I guess you could say we date and have fun. When we all first moved in together, I would still get lonely at night. When the day was done and I would be in bed, the darkness just seemed to thicken around me. Once in awhile I would have nightmares as I remembered being at the abbey and Tala would come in and stay with me so I wouldn't feel so alone. That was when I first went back to the team and things haven't changed. When he's there, the nightmares stay away. Bryan plays the protector role too, but it's different with Tala. I don't know what I would do anymore if Tala wasn't there."

Rei smiled as he picked up Kai's hand with his own. "Thank you for understanding me Kai. I'm glad that you and Tala are happy. You both deserve to find that in life."

They smiled once more as Kai began telling Rei about all the things he would see and be able to do in Russia. Rei was looking forward to moving in with his new roommates and getting to know them better. He also looked forward to being able to witness this new development in Kai's life. Once again, for the first time since he had come home, Rei looked forward to where his life was going. He gazed passed Kai and out the window as he watched the village disappear from sight. 'There goes my past. It's time to move on to the future and what ever it holds for me. I think things are beginning to look up again.'


	4. Quiet Time in a Cold Town

Hey everyone. I know it's been awhile, but I was in Pennsylvania visiting a friend for a week and I've had a lot of work to do for my college classes this last couple of weeks. I hope to be able to update a little more frequently, but I won't have the schedule a chapter a day anymore. I'll write when I can and I hope you are enjoying the story. Anyways, enough babbling, on with the story. I know you've been waiting for it. Let me know what you think, I hope you like this chapter.

Chapter 4: Quiet Time in a Cold Town

"Flight 1119 from Beijing will be arriving at gate 5 in 10 minutes. Again, Flight 1119 will be arriving at gate 5 in 15 minutes."

"It's about time. It feels like we've been waiting forever."

Tala smacked Bryan in the back of the head as they waited for Kai and Rei to arrive at the gate terminal. "Will you be just a little more patient Bryan? They'll get here soon enough. If you keep acting like you are, Rei's going to be afraid of what he's walking into. The point is to get him to stay at the house and start taking care of himself. The way you're acting you'll scare him out of his wits and make him worse. Kai said he was starting to go kind of downhill so we need to watch the attitudes ok? I don't want him to take something the wrong way and take off. He needs to know he's welcomed here."

Bryan rolled his eyes at the redhead. "Take it easy Tala. I know the story. Don't worry, I won't scare him off. I'm just as worried as you are. Well, maybe not just as worried. I don't know if anyone can match you when you decide to play mother hen." Bryan smirked as Tala rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"I am not being a mother hen. Not yet at least. Besides, if I didn't keep after you guys, then no one would. Admit it, once in awhile you need someone to help look after you and it may as well be me. I've done it long enough as team captain that I may as well keep it up. And I will wait until I see Rei to decide how much mothering he needs."

Bryan frowned and shook his shoulder as he spotted familiar pale hair coming out of the gate.

Tala jumped up and waved at the tiger and phoenix. "KAI, WE'RE OVER HERE!" Tala continued waving and smiled as the two made their way over to where Bryan and Tala were waiting. He frowned slightly as well when he saw why Bryan had made that face. Rei looked a little too skinny to him and he appeared exhausted. His light in his eyes seemed like it was dying. He made up his mind almost immediately.

Bryan shook his head as he watched the gears turn within his friend's head. Rei was definitely in for some mothering treatment for a little while. He would be lucky if Tala let him do anything on his own.

Tala immediately held his hand out to Rei and gave him an encouraging smile. "Welcome to Russia. I hope you enjoy it here. It can be really quiet most of the time, but once in awhile there are a few good things going on and a couple of good clubs when you feel like that kind of scenery."

Rei smiled as he clasped Tala's hand in his. "Thank you Tala. I'm sure everything will be fine. I don't need much to get along."

Tala shook his head as he stepped away from Rei and closer to Kai. Kai nonchalantly slid his hand into Tala's and twined their fingers together.

Bryan then stepped up and greeted Rei with a sound clap to the shoulder. "It's not a matter of what you need to get by Rei. This arrangement is about making you happy. Don't stop at what you need. Between the four of us I think we can get you whatever you want. Just speak up and it will be arranged. If you can't do it for yourself, we'll find a way."

Rei smiled up at the tall Russian. "Thank you." He looked back to Kai and Tala. "I really appreciate all of this. You guys really didn't have to do this for me."

Tala just smiled and wrapped his free arm around Rei's shoulders and started guiding him down the halls towards where he and Bryan had left the car. Kai held their hands entwined all the way to the airport entrance. Rei smiled as he watched the two quiet Russians absorb each others presence. Neither one was very vocal about their feelings and emotions, so he wasn't surprised about the apparent lack of greeting between the two. Rei, however, knew Kai a little bit better. He knew that the simple act of holding hands with Tala in public said a lot about how the two felt for each other. He knew Kai and Tala just weren't that public with the relationship.

When they reached the car, Bryan and Rei slid into the back seat while Tala drove and Kai slid into the front passenger seat. After a week of lying around, Rei wasn't use to all the excitement and they had a good drive to get back to the house. Bryan smirked as he saw Rei slow start to drift off against the car window. He slid his arm behind Rei and pulled him away from the window. Rei looked up at him, slightly confused. Bryan smirked and pulled him back away from the window. "You're tired. You've probably had more excitement today than you've had all week. Lean back against me and go to sleep. It'll be more comfortable than the window, I promise."

Rei hesitated and was about to protest when Bryan cut him off.

"Don't worry about it. I don't mind. We still have a bit of a drive and we'll wake you up when we get there."

Rei smiled and leaned back against Bryan's chest and quickly drifted off to sleep. Bryan smiled and leaned back for some rest as he left his arms dangled around the tiger's shoulders. As Bryan slowly drifted off himself, he was unaware of the grins watching from the front seat.

"I'm really happy they've mended the bridge over the past several months." Kai smiled as Tala stopped watching the backseat passengers and watched the road in front of them. He placed his hand over Tala's on the shifter.

Two hours later, Tala slowly pulled into the driveway. He looked around the car and noticed he was the only one still awake. He lifted his hand, still intertwined with Kai's, and kissed the back of the phoenix's hand. He smiled as the other slowly drifted back to consciousness.

Kai sat up a little more as his eyes slowly fluttered open. He looked out the window to gain his bearings as Tala turned back to wake Bryan. The falcon woke at the whisper of his name. One look out the window told him they were home. He was about to shake the Tiger awake when Kai shook his head back at him.

Kai whispered an explanation back to the Falcon. "Try not to wake him. It's been a rough week for him. He could probably use a lot of sleep over the next few days. We'll have to slowly ease him out of that routine without rushing things too quickly."

He nodded towards Kai as he gently shifted Rei back to a seated position in his own seat so that he could exit the vehicle.

After Bryan had gotten himself out of the backseat and gently closed the door, Tala turned to Kai and placed his hand on the phoenix's cheek. "It's good to have you back home, firebird."

Kai smiled back. "It's good to be back. I know I wasn't gone all that long, but I missed you, Wolf."

Both boys separated and moved to get the bags out of the trunk while Bryan gently lifted Rei from his seat in the car. Rei simply shifted further into the warm embrace trying to retreat from the cold weather. Bryan smiled at the childish display from the Tiger. He held Rei closer to guard against the chilled air as he followed Kai and Tala towards to door. Once in the door, he headed straight for the spare room that was across from his own and lay Rei down in the bed for a more comfortable sleep. Tala and Kai followed in shortly with Rei's few bags and set them in the corner. Once the Tiger was settled in, they quietly left him to his rest and settled in the main room to figure out what needed to be done with the rest of the day.

When Rei awoke, he felt slightly disoriented. After quickly looking around the room and spotting his bags, he remembered the trip to Russia. 'I must have fallen asleep in the car. I seem to be doing an awful lot of that recently. Maybe a shower will wake me up."

Rei scanned the room and soon spotted the bathroom attached at one side. He grabbed a pair of sweat pants and a tank top from his bags and headed for the shower. He found it amusing that the house was kept fairly warm. Knowing the three Russians, he almost expected the house to be kept at temperatures cooler than what he found. It felt nice to stand underneath the hot water. It was almost like the heat was washing away all his troubles. He didn't feel a big difference in himself yet, but he did feel a little better. After the long task of washing his hair was complete, the tiger turned off the water, dried, and dressed. He then cleaned up his discarded clothes and towels and decided to explore the house to find his new roommates. He wasn't quite ready for the long task of brushing and braiding his hair. It would be better to let it dry a little more anyway. That way he saved the floor from the puddle of water that would be squeezed from the long tail.

Tala and Kai were found together on the couch in the main room. Tala was snuggled into Kai against the arm while they watched the news on the television.

"So what's new in Russia?" Rei wandered around the other arm of the sofa and sat next to the couple. He quickly sank into the huge piece of furniture. If he sat all the way back in the seat, he had no choice but pull his legs up in the seat. He had never seen furniture so huge or comfortable. The sofa could easily be used as a bed for two even as it sat. When he took notice of the couple he saw that Kai had seated himself with the bottom portion pulled up as a recliner and Tala lay with his head in Kai's lap.

Tala looked up and smiled at Rei. "It's nothing really new to Russia. They're talking about more snow. Bryan ran out to make sure we had enough food and supplies in case it gets to be a little much. He should be back anytime now."

Kai laughed as he saw Rei's eyes light up at the thought of snow. Throughout his travels with the team he had seen Rei thoroughly enjoy the concept of snow. It didn't matter what kind of mood Rei was in. If you placed him in a snowy environment, he became a kid again. "Bryan is also picking up some good snow gear for you so you can enjoy the weather without getting horribly sick because of it."

"Thanks guys, I don't know what to say." Rei simply sat there next to them as he thought about being out in the snow. He knew he was happy, but he couldn't help but feel slightly depressed for some reason.

Tala picked up on his uneasiness. "Rei, what's wrong? Aren't you happy about the snow? I promise it's almost a regular thing during this part of the year. It won't go away just as you're having fun."

Rei frowned and pulled his legs in close, leaning his chin on his knees. "I know Tala. I am happy about the snow. I just don't know. I still just feel depressed for some reason. I just have this down feeling and I can't explain why. Then I feel more depressed because I don't know why I feel depressed in the first place and then I get confused and I just don't know what the hell my mind is thinking."

Tala sat up with a frown at Rei's ramblings. He gently placed a hand on Rei's shoulder. "Hey, Rei, it's ok. You don't have to get up and start jumping around. You don't need to feel happy right off the bat. It's ok if you just want to stay inside and find peace and quiet."

Rei leaned his face down into his legs as he mumbled back at Tala.

"Rei, you're going to have to pull yourself out of your legs for me to hear you. What did you say?"

Rei lifted his face back up but refused to look Tala in the eye. Instead he watched the commercials that were now playing on the television as he whispered his reply. "I don't want to be alone."

Tala turned to Kai and received a nod from his lover. He slid closer to Rei and slid his arms around Rei's shoulders. Rei looked up at Kai in surprise as Tala tightened the embrace. "You don't have to be alone Rei. We're right here." The red head pulled away and smiled at Rei. "Why don't we do a quiet evening in? We've got plenty of movies here. We'll pull out the blankets, move the table out of the way and set up one big bed down here on the floor. You can crash wherever you want, on the floor with us, on the couch, or up in your room. The choice is completely up to you. We'll just make some pizza and popcorn and call it a movie night, ok?"

Rei smiled slightly at the red head and then at Kai.

Kai smiled in return. "That's better now. We're here to help you figure things out Rei. Don't be afraid to speak what's on your mind. All three of us are here to listen to whatever you have to say and help in any way we can."

Rei wrapped his arms around Tala, returning the embrace, as he slid his legs back to the side, away from their protective position against his chest. "Thanks guys. I feel really stupid just rambling about all that out of nowhere."

Tala smiled into the long ebony hair. "That's alright Rei."

Kai reached over and tugged on the two sitting next to him. "Now come here and get comfortable again. We'll flip channels and find something on until Bryan gets home. We'll get everything set up then."

Tala smiled back at Kai as he tugged Rei down in front of him on the couch. Rei hesitated but eventually made himself comfortable laying his head on Kai's legs and leaning back into Tala's embrace.

Bryan found them in a very similar position not too much later. The only difference was that Kai had twisted himself around so that his left leg lay behind Tala against the back of the couch and his right lay in front of Rei with the tiger's arm thrown over it, allowing Kai to lie back against the arm of the couch. Bryan smiled at the picture all three of the boys made. Kai seemed to surround the other two with an arm draped across Tala's shoulders. Tala in return seemed to be attempting to protect Rei with an arm thrown over the Tiger's waist. The resembled a happy family to him. It was a scene he had been unfamiliar with until he had moved in with Tala and Kai. He remembered several nights that had been spent with all three just laying within each others embrace.

As much as he hated to break up the picture, he really needed Rei to wake up and help get his stuff situated in his room. As soon as the groceries had been put away, Bryan returned to the living room and gently shook Rei awake. When Rei seemed about to ask Bryan what was going on, Bryan signaled for him to stay quiet. He then helped Rei slide out of Tala and Kai's embrace without waking them.

After removing himself from underneath Tala's arm, Rei gently slid away from the two sleeping boys. Tala simply shifted closer to Kai to make up for the lost warmth as Kai shifted to hold Tala closer. Rei smiled as he attempted to get up from the couch only to fail.

Bryan laughed and held out a hand to help Rei up from the plush couch. He then signaled Rei to follow him back to the tiger's room where he had placed his new things. "I didn't really want to wake them. With everything that's been going on, they haven't gotten to spend that much time together."

Rei smiled at Bryan as they started to pull new clothes from the many bags on the floor and put them in either the dresser or the closet. "I understand. I don't know why I fell asleep, it's not like I haven't had enough."

Bryan smiled as he watched Rei check out all the new clothes he was adding to his closet. "You've let you're system run down. You're body is trying to fight the lack of care and nourishment. You may not seem all that active, but your system is still doing plenty and it eats away at what little energy you have left."

Rei frowned at Bryan and paused in his sifting through clothes.

Bryan held his hands up in defense. "Don't worry. I'm not going to lecture. I just noticed you seemed a bit run down. You're eyes aren't as alive as they have been in the past. They don't shine nearly as much as they did two years ago. You've lost weight too. I just made observations and answered your question about why you sleep so much. You're body can't handle taking care of itself, repairing the damage, and keeping the routine, so you sleep. That way you're system saves more energy for the more necessary tasks."

Rei sighed as he started sorting through clothes again. He didn't honestly think he would end up with so many things right after moving in. "I'm sorry Bryan. I shouldn't be so defensive. I know you guys care. I just don't like to think about it ok?"

Bryan smiled as Rei started admiring more of the clothes. "No problem Rei. I guessed on the sizes by the way. I hope everything fits well. I looked through and picked the sizes I thought would be closest. I figured you were close to Tala's size only he's a little bit leaner where you've built some muscle. I also wanted to make sure you had some room in them for once you start eating solidly again. You'll put some of the weight back on and I wanted to make sure the clothes would still fit."

Rei smiled at Bryan as he put the last of the clothes into the closet. He glanced between the now full closet, the full dresser, and his empty bags along with the empty shopping bags. "Thank you Bryan. You really didn't have to do all this."

Bryan grinned and wrapped the tiger in a strong embrace. "No problem kitten. We just wanted you set. We'll get you some more furnishings for the room and bathroom once you're up to the shopping trip. We wanted you to pick out how you wanted the room decorated."

Rei smiled even wider as he stepped away from the strong embrace. "Now, how about we go see about making dinner? Tala had mentioned making pizza and popcorn and calling it a movie night. I think that sounds like a good idea.

Bryan nodded and the two headed for the kitchen.

Kai and Tala stirred awake as the smell of fresh pizza assaulted their noses.

Tala lifted himself off of the phoenix and sniffed the air. "Mmm, that smells delicious. I guess the pizza is almost ready. Bryan must be home. Where did Rei go?"

Kai sat up as well as he stretched his arms above his head. "That smells too good to be Bryan's cooking. My guess is that Rei has taken over the kitchen."

Tala smiled as he struggled to get off the couch. "Well then I suppose we should move things around and get the pillows and blankets gathered down here and spread out to lie down on."

Kai nodded and followed him upstairs to one of the storage closets by their room to grab pillows and blankets.

By the time that Rei and Bryan had pulled everything together and started moving the pizza and soda into the main room, Tala and Kai had the middle of the floor cleared out and had made a huge bed of blankets for all four of them in front of the television. There were pillows thrown everywhere to relax on and wrap around. Rei smiled before running back to the kitchen and grabbing the popcorn. The table had been moved against the entertainment center in front of the television. Bryan finished arranging the food on the table before they put in the first movie. They had decided on a couple of horror movies and a couple of comedies. After thinking about it, Tala decided the best option was to watch the horror movies first and then follow up with the comedies. Of that list only counted if they stayed awake for all the movies. Chances were more likely that they would start the first movie and be lucky to make it through the second one.

Once everyone was settled and comfortable somewhere under the blankets, Rei found himself in between Bryan and Tala. Never before had he imagined himself in a situation like this. He was happy he had been given the opportunity to know his ex-rivals like this. They had always given each other so much competition in the sport, it was a shame they hadn't been able to be friends before.

As expected, the first movie kept them occupied as they ate dinner. Once their stomachs were full, it didn't take long for the second movie to start putting them to sleep. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kai and Tala starting to slide in closer to each other and both sets of eyes were starting to droop a little bit. He then glanced out the window noticed the snow starting to fall heavier outside. Tomorrow would be a nice day to stay in and enjoy the view from the windows. Rei smiled at the pair next to him and settled on his stomach next to Bryan to continue watching the movie as he started to feel his eyelids grow heavier.

Bryan noticed Rei start to nod off. As the tiger fell into a deeper sleep, he rolled onto his side, his back towards Bryan, and began curling into a ball for more warmth. Bryan smiled at the sight. It seemed the kitten was a natural heat hog. Even under the thick blankets and the heat going throughout the house, he was still cold. Bryan simply slid closer to Rei and slid his arms around the boy's waist, pulling him closer to his chest to share his body heat. He enjoyed living with Tala and Kai, but sometimes things just felt odd with the couple. They were all best of friends, and they were all just as close to one as they were the others, but there were some things between Kai and Tala that Bryan just couldn't relate to. Likewise there were things about him that Tala and Kai just couldn't relate to. It was nice having Rei here. Now he wouldn't be so alone when Kai and Tala went off on their own little things. They never tried to on purpose, of course. They always included Bryan in anything they could. But Bryan understood that with their relationship, they just needed, and deserved, some time to themselves. He needed someone besides his captain and ex-teammate. His last thought before he fell asleep was how nice it felt to finally not be the third wheel in the house.


	5. Nightmare's Interlude

Chapter 5: Nightmare's Interlude

_Dream sequence – _

_Rei turned in circles as he absorbed the darkness surrounding him. No matter which way he turned, he saw nothing but shadows, dark figures that just stood around him, mocking him. Suddenly, he heard voices all around him. He tried covering his ears but he still heard the voices inside his head._

"_Look at him, so weak, so useless. Just leave him"_

"_Don't bother sticking around, No one wants you"_

"_They don't like you, they pity you."_

_Rei shook his head back and forth, trying to escape the voices. Nothing seemed to help. They surrounded and suffocated him._

"_Just give up, no one wants you here."_

"_No one wants you anywhere. You're just a burden on everyone."_

"_All you do is cause trouble for those around you."_

"_You'll bring trouble here too, just wait."_

"_All you do is cause pain. You'll hurt everyone around you at some point."_

_Tears made their way down Rei's cheeks as he took in all the different voices. "No, please, just leave me be. I don't want to cause others pain. I don't want to be a burden. Please, just leave me alone." Rei pulled his hands away from his ears and looked down at them in anguish. As he looked at his arms, he saw small scars everywhere. "I'd take all the pain myself if it meant saving everyone else. I don't mean to hurt those around me."_

"_Rei, don't do this. We're you're friends. No one else matters but you and your friends."_

_Rei looked up at the mysterious voice only to find no one there. "Who are you? Where are you?"_

"_I'm here Rei. We all are. Don't do this to yourself."_

_Rei simply curled in on himself and continued crying as he was once again bombarded with hurtful words. "Please, someone help me. I feel so lost. I don't want it to hurt anymore. I don't want this. Someone please find me."_

"_No one cares for you."_

"_You're lost forever. Why not end it now?"_

"_No one is coming for you so why don't you just put yourself out of your own misery."_

_Rei's crying turned into full sobbing. "NO, I don't want this. I don't want this."_

End Dream sequence-

"NO!" Rei screamed as he bolted up from his makeshift bed. Slowly he began to take in his surroundings and realized he was at the house in Russia. As he calmed down, he breathing slowed and he also realized he was soaked in a cold sweat. He brushed his hair away from his face and rubbed his hand down his face, wiping away the tears that had run down his cheeks. It took him awhile to notice the falcon behind him rubbing his back.

"Rei? Are you alright? It was just a dream." Bryan continued rubbing Rei's back in a soothing manner, not receiving an answer. He was pulled roughly from his sleep when Rei had suddenly bolted away from him. He glanced out the window to see that it was somewhere close to dawn. He looked over at Kai and Tala to see them looking at him with worried expressions. He decided the only thing that would put them all at ease would be to get Rei talking. "Rei? I need you to calm down and answer me. It was just a bad dream. Are you ok?" He noticed Rei's breathing had slowed down to a more normal pace.

The tiger simply nodded, not even turning around or trusting his own voice. Bryan looked back at Kai and Tala as they nodded and headed to the kitchen for coffee and tea. They knew no one would be going back to sleep. Bryan simply picked Rei up and set him on the oversized couch. Not once did Rei attempt to uncurl himself. Bryan frowned as the tiger stayed in his own ball. "Rei, I need you to look at me. I need to know you're alright. It looks like that nightmare spooked you pretty bad. Just look at me and let me know you're alright. If it'll help, you can tell me what happened but you don't have to."

The tiger whimpered as he looked up at his friend. Suddenly all the pain from the dream came back to him and he threw himself at the falcon. "I don't want to hurt anyone else. I don't mean to cause problems for everyone. I don't want to be a burden, just don't leave me. I don't want to be alone anymore. I don't want to feel that pain anymore."

Tala and Kai chose that point to come back to the living area with a tray of coffee and tea for everyone. Kai set his tray on the end table and sat behind Rei. "Rei, no one is going to leave you alone. I promise. You won't be hurt anymore. You won't be on your own anymore. We're here for you, always."

Rei looked up from his place in Bryan's arms and sniffled. Kai held his arms out to Rei and let the kitten curl against him as Bryan and Tala rearranged the blankets and pillows on the floor. "Rei, tiger, what happened in your dream? I think it might help to talk about it."

Rei shook his head against the phoenix's chest. "I just felt all alone. I heard voices all around me yelling at me and condemning me. Everyone hated me and they were leaving me. They told me I was just a burden to everyone. I swear Kai; I don't want to burden anyone."

"Rei, Hey, calm down. You're not a burden to anyone. We invited you here. Remember that. If it was going to be a burden, we would have found another way to help you. You aren't hurting anyone here." Kai looked up as Tala tapped his shoulder and nodded down at the new arrangement. He then slid himself and the tiger back onto the floor into the mass of pillows and blankets. He coaxed Rei to lay down with him in the middle. Bryan lay with his head resting on Kai's hip and an arm wrapped around Rei's waist as Tala slid behind Rei to wrap an arm over him and Kai.

Tala whispered comfortingly into Rei's ear as Kai stroked the loose hair behind Rei's ear. "It's alright Rei. We're here now. No one is going to hurt you and you aren't going to hurt any of us.

The four sat there for some time until Kai noticed that Rei had drifted off into a dreamless sleep. He tapped Bryan on the shoulder and motioned for him and Tala to help him slip from underneath the tiger. Bryan stood and helped Tala up from his position. He then gently lifted the tiger from Kai's arms. Rei's arms immediately made their way around Bryan's neck as he moved to place the tiger back in a more comfortable spot on the couch.

"Let him sleep a little longer. It looked like that dream got to him pretty bad. I can't imagine he got that much good sleep last night." Tala whispered as he grabbed a blanket to place over the sleeping tiger.

As Bryan eased the tiger onto the couch and attempted to stand, Rei's grip around his neck tightened and he tried to shift closer. "Don't leave me alone." The sleeping tiger mumbled in his sleep. Bryan stood still for a moment before kneeling before the couch. He brushed Rei's bangs from his face as he contemplated how to escape the tiger's hold with a startled expression.

Kai smiled at the falcon. Bryan cared about Rei, certainly. But he was still new to his own emotions and probably wasn't sure how exactly to handle this situation. "It's ok Bryan. I'll slide in behind him and he should let go and shift closer to me. I'll just lay with him and watch television while he sleeps." Bryan nodded as Kai slid onto the couch and behind Rei. As expected, the younger one eased his grip around Bryan's neck as Kai slid an arm around his waist. Rei slowly turned over to curl himself into Kai's chest. Bryan gave one last lingering look to the tiger before he joined Tala to clean the rest of the previous nights mess from the living area.

Tala leaned over and placed to television remote within reach for Kai. "He'll be ok Kai. We'll help him through this. He's probably just really depressed, so his emotions are sending him on a rollercoaster ride right now. He just needs to let things balance out and find his own place again."

Kai looked up at his lover and smiled. Tala leaned over the back of the couch to place a tender kiss to the phoenix's lips. Kai ran his fingers through the tiger's hair as he settled in for his small rest.

Tala smiled as he watched the interaction. He only hoped Rei would pull out of his depression before he sank too far into it. If he fell much further it would be difficult to pull him out without much damage.

_Dream Sequence-_

_Rei groaned as he slowly stirred in the darkness once again. This time he was a little more reassured. He didn't know why, but he felt more comfortable about himself, safer. It was easier to block out the surrounding voices this time._

"_They'll forget you in time."_

"_They don't really care. They'll wait to get what they want."_

"_They're only using you for their own purposes."_

_Rei stood in defiance against the voices around him. "No, you're wrong. They do care about me. I know they do. They're my friends, my family. I won't listen to you anymore."_

"_Rei, come back to us. Come back to me. Find your way from the darkness, love."_

_Rei turned in circles, trying to find the warm voice. "Where are you? Who are you? Help me."_

"_Find your way Rei. You have to. Please." The voice began to drift away into the distance._

_Rei started running through the darkness in the general direction he thought the voice had come from. "NO, don't leave me. Don't leave me alone. Come back. Whoever you are, please, help me find my way."_

"_I can't help you Rei. You have to help yourself. You can do it. You can find me." The voice was very faint before it disappeared all together._

_Rei fell to his knees, exhausted from his sprint. "I'll try. I have to try. I'll find you, I promise."_

_The darkness seemed to completely surround him once again as it began to overtake his vision._

_-End Dream sequence-_

Kai shifted more towards the back of the couch as Rei slowly stirred awake. He smiled down at the slender Chinese as his eyes fluttered open.

"Mmm, Kai? When did I end up on the couch? Where did Bryan and Tala go? Last I remember was dozing off watching the movie last night."

Kai gently brushed loose hair behind the tiger's ear. "You had a nightmare early this morning, don't you remember?"

Rei simply shook his head negatively.

Kai slid his free arm down Rei's side to rest across his hips. "You had a nightmare this morning and woke up scared. Bryan calmed you down some and you fell back to sleep, so we settled you up here on the couch to sleep more comfortably. You mumbled in your sleep, asking us not to leave you alone, so I settled up here with you. Tala and Bryan cleaned up the mess from last night and you kept sleeping."

Rei snuggled into Kai's chest and closed his eyes again as the phoenix tightened his hold on the tiger. "Thank you Kai. You guys didn't have to, but thank you. It means a lot that you guys watched over me. Where are Tala and Bryan? I'll have to thank them later as well."

"We're right here, Kitten. It's nothing. That's what friends are for."

Rei turned onto his back to see Bryan looked at him from one of the other chairs. On the other side of the room he spotted Tala in another chair.

"Are you feeling better Rei? We didn't want to wake you. We thought it would be better for you to get a little more sleep. You looked like you were sleeping better."

Rei smiled at Tala's concerned frown. "I'm fine Tala. It was just a nightmare. I don't even remember waking up, honestly. But I do feel much better this morning than I did last night. Thank you for staying with me. I don't think I could have taken sleeping in my room by myself last night. The dreams probably would have been worse if I had."

Kai sat up and helped Rei sit up beside him. Tala made his way over to the couch to sit on Rei's other side, folding Rei within his arms as he did so. "Any time you need it. If you don't want to sleep in your room by yourself, you don't have to. Just pick another bed and crawl in. This house is yours now as well. If you need company through the night, all three of us are here for you."

Rei smiled and laughed quietly. "Thanks guys. I don't know what I'd do without you. I'd be so lost if I had stayed in China. I don't know what to say."

Bryan watched the three wrapped in each others arms on the couch. Living all three of these friends was going to do wonders for his emotional state. He was slowly opening back up to his own emotions and learning how to deal with them once again. He had felt like he was on an emotional rollercoaster this morning when Rei had jerked away from him. It had taken him a little while to sift through all the emotions that had gone through his heart and mind. Things were slowly sinking in for him though and he was happy that Rei had slept more peacefully the second time around. It was like a weight had been lifted from his heart to see the tiger smile after waking the second time. Hopefully this would begin the healing process for the wounded tiger.


	6. Close calls and Close Comfort

Ok, so this one took a little bit too. I'm working on the last credits of my associate's degree and at the moment, chemistry is semi-sorta kicking me in the butt. It's nice to know what you people like my writing. I greatly appreciate the epportunities.

Chapter 6: Close calls and close comfort

The day passed by fairly quietly. Rei curled up beside Kai with a book for the afternoon as Kai flipped through the channels on the television. There had been a couple of times when Bryan and Tala had stolen the remote to watch one game or another. Kai simply handed the remote to Tala and wrapped his arms around Rei's waist as he read over his shoulder during each game. Rei found himself feeling very comfortable around the three Russians. He never pictured Tala and Bryan being the involved type of people during a sports event. It was very interesting watching the two interact. He wondered if they ever got involved with the sport itself. He would have to figure out. It would give him good ideas for things he could do for the two sports fans. He made a mental note to talk to Kai about it sometime. Before he knew it, it was time for dinner.

Tala and Bryan had wanted to make dinner but Rei insisted they finish watching the race they had been involved in. He made his way to the kitchen and began heating water and sauce to make spaghetti. Kai entered the kitchen just a few moments later and offered to help. Rei told him to make the garlic bread and a small salad. The two worked in companionable silence until dinner was ready. Rei popped into the living area to get the other two men as Kai began setting the table. Dinner as well went by fairly quietly. Tala and Bryan were engaged in conversation over the day's games while Kai and Rei just absorbed the conversation.

Noticing how quiet the other two had been all day, Tala decided it would be good for them to get out of the house for the evening. "Hey guys, why don't we hit the club tonight? We haven't been out for awhile."

Kai looked curiously at his lover. "You want to go to the club tonight? You're usually the one that doesn't want to go out."

Tala shrugged back at Kai. "I'm usually the one that needs the peace and quiet. It's been really quiet around here for too long though. I think it would do us all some good to get out for the evening.

"Ok Tala, sure thing. If you want to hit the club, I'll go with you. I don't like the idea of you going out alone."

"I don't know guys. I don't know if I can take a loud crowded night." Rei looked down at his plate and pushed the food from side to side with his fork.

"No Rei. If you really don't want to go, we'll just stay home. We don't have to go out if you're not ready." Tala frowned at Rei as Bryan looked intently at the Tiger.

"No, Tala. If you want to go out tonight, you should go. Don't stay in just because of me. Really it's ok." Rei looked at Tala as he insisted the others go out without him.

"Rei, I don't like the idea of leaving you home alone. Come on. Just give it a try. We'll go for a little while and if you decide you don't like it there, we can come home. We'll take two cars so Tala and Kai can stay and I'll bring you home. I don't get into the crowds very often anyway, so I won't be missing much."

"We can take one car, we'll just all…"

"No, Tala." Bryan interrupted. "It's a good plan. Rei gets out and gives it a try and if he doesn't feel comfortable we'll come home. You and Kai take a little bit to work yourselves into the crowd, but when you do you guys really enjoy being out there. I don't get into the crowd nearly as often as you guys do. I'll bring Rei home if he's not enjoying himself and you guys can stay and continue having fun."

"Are you sure?" Kai finally spoke up.

Bryan nodded and turned to Rei. "So what do you say kitten. Will you give it a try? I really think you could use an evening out. It might do you some good. You spend entirely too much time inside by yourself. It's not good for you."

Rei looked back down at his plate before giving Bryan a gentle smile. "Ok Bryan, I'll give it a try. You don't mind bringing me home if I want to?"

"No problem at all. You don't need to stay if you really don't want to. As long as you give it an honest shot. Just make the call and we'll leave. It's completely up to you."

Rei nodded and got up to put his empty plate in the sink for Tala and Bryan to wash. "All right. I'll give it a shot. I'll have all three of my protectors there after all won't I?" He smiled as the Russians cheered in victory.

Kai placed his empty plate on top of Rei's and guided the tiger up to his room to get dressed for the evening while Tala and Bryan cleaned the dishes from dinner.

Three hours later, all four boys were dressed and grabbing jackets on their way out the door. Kai had picked out Rei's outfit for the evening. Kai was wearing baggy tanned cargo pants, a pair of clunky boots and a tight sleeveless black top. Rei noticed that his old captain was wearing a leather wrist band with silver studs all the way around and a silver hoop through the top of his ear. Tala had dressed in white leather pants, sneakers and a red v-neck muscle shirt that almost looked to be made of silk. It wasn't tight but it wasn't all that loose either. The couple seemed to complement each other as they stood next to each other. Tala was very slender and seemed even more so when standing next to Kai. Kai stood above his lover by several inches now and while he still appeared fairly lean, he had packed on some muscular weight.

Rei was shocked most of all by Bryan's appearance. He never imagined the falcon as he stood before him. The falcon was wearing black leather pants that slid into his slightly clunky boots and a black mesh muscle shirt that seemed to show off the falcon's entire upper body. Never before would Rei have imagined Bryan to dress the way he was. Then again he never would have picked out the outfit that he was currently wearing either. Kai had picked out a pair of loose camouflaged cargo pants, clunky boots, and a white muscle shirt for the tiger. Instead of his usual wrapping, Kai had brushed through his long hair and simply secured it at the nape of Rei's neck.

"Are you guys sure this will be ok? It's still quite cold outside." Rei looked hesitantly around the room.

Tala laughed at Rei's naivety. "It's more than alright Rei. We'll wear coats of course. But once you get inside it's going to be really hot with the size of the crowd and everyone dancing around. Don't worry, you won't be cold. I promise."

Rei nodded and followed Bryan out to his car. It didn't take long to get there. Tala had been right about the placement of the house. It was in an area that was quiet with not very many neighbors but yet still not that far from one of the entertainment areas in town. They quickly parked the cars next to each other and slid right through the line waiting to enter the building. Apparently the three had been here often and had come to know the bouncers personally. Not one question had been asked as they walked right in. The man at the door simply nodded towards the three as they passed.

Rei was amazed when he saw all the people bouncing around the dance floor. Bryan noticed the wide eyes on the tiger's face and placed an arm around his waist to guide him towards the bar. "It's ok Rei. You don't have to go out there. Let's just sit at the bar and have a drink. You can make your mind up over there. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

Rei looked to their side to see Tala and Kai nod in agreement. He smiled and let Bryan guide him to the bar. Tala and Kai followed behind with a tight grip on each others hand. As they tried to get through a denser portion of the crowd, Bryan's arm slid away from his waist and gripped his hand tightly. He also kept looking over his shoulder to assure himself that the tiger was still behind him. Kai nodded at Bryan's observations and placed his free hand on the small of Rei's back as he guided Rei from behind.

Once they made it to the bar, they all grabbed a seat around the corner and Rei attempted to take in the noise and lights around them. The bar had an excellent view looking down on the crowd. Bryan waved at the bartender for a few beers. He knew they wouldn't be drinking much, but they did want to loosen Rei up just a little. He figured they would drink just enough to relax into the crowd and everything after that would be water. Sure enough, as soon as Rei was handed the bottle he began drinking.

Kai could tell that the tiger was nervous in a crowd of this size, but he was going to make an attempt to have fun tonight. That was the most he could ask. Once they were done with the first beer, Kai held his hand out to Tala. "You ready for a dance, Tala?"

"Sure thing Kai, let's go."

The two left the empty bottles on the bar for the bartender to toss and made their way out into the crowd. From his position at the bar, Rei had a perfect view of the couple in the middle of the floor. He had no idea that the two could move like they were. They moved well together. It showed just how close they were. They fit together well and even still complemented each other. Rei watched as Tala moved closer to Kai and the phoenix wrapped his arms around Tala's waist. Apparently the two were becoming very comfortable with the crowd as Tala turned his back towards Kai and slid his arm up around Kai's neck. Kai's arms never left the red-head's waist as he dipped his head down to Tala's neck and the red-head leaned his head back and into Kai's neck in return. Watching his two friends together he became envious. They looked so happy together. Rei turned swiftly as he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Bryan was giving him a concerned look. "What's wrong?" He mouthed to the tiger.

Rei just shrugged and turned away from Bryan. He wasn't sure what was wrong. He just suddenly felt a little down. He looked back as he felt an arm slide around his waist. Thankfully he saw the falcon behind him and not some stranger from the crowd.

Bryan leaned down to Rei's ear so the tiger would hear him better. "You're feeling lonely watching them, aren't you?"

Rei stiffened at question. He knew that was part of what he was feeling but was it everything? If that was the reason he suddenly felt down how was he suppose to make himself feel better in order to have fun this evening. He really wanted to keep his promise to the Russians but he was starting to have his doubts. He felt Bryan lift up on his arm and stood beside the falcon with a curious look.

Bryan once again leaned to Rei's ear so he could be heard. "You won't have fun if you don't give it a try. Come on. Let's go join them. If you don't start to enjoy yourself, we'll head home, I promise."

Rei nodded and let his friend guide him out on the dance floor to the other pair. Once they made it to the couple on the floor, Bryan pulled Rei closer to him and guided Rei's arms up around his neck and placed both arms around the tiger's waist. It didn't take long for Rei to find his rhythm and fall into step with the taller boy. Tala and Kai smiled as Rei began to loosen up and enjoy himself on the dance floor. It was a night for surprises. Not only could Rei not believe that the three Russians could move like they did, but they didn't believe the tiger would move like he did on the dance floor. After several dances and three beers, they all witnessed a smile on the tiger's lips as he joked around with all three boys.

"All right kitten, I'm going to go grab some water with Tala. Have a dance with Kai."

Rei nodded as Kai slid behind him so that they could speak easily into each others ears as they danced. Tala smiled at the pair as he headed off the dance floor with Bryan.

"I'm glad you're having fun. I wasn't sure you would at first. You were really nervous at first."

Rei smiled up at his best friend. "I should be thanking you for making me leave the house tonight. I think Tala and Bryan were right. Getting out of the house is a good thing for me. I'm having fun tonight, Kai, honestly. I'm glad I came out here with you guys."

Kai smiled and pulled Rei tighter to him in a friendly gesture. "Why don't we go get some water?"

Rei nodded in agreement. "You guys were right. It is pretty hot in here. I wouldn't have believed it with all the snow outside."

Kai smiled and gestured towards the bar where Tala and Bryan were waiting. Rei slid between the bodies as Kai attempted to follow him. He tried to reach out for Rei's hand as the crowd began to get thicker, but before he could reach him, the tiger had disappeared through the bodies. He hoped that Rei was continuing towards the bar and followed suit. When he reached Tala's side, he found he was grossly wrong. Rei was no where to be seen. He leaned down towards Tala and asked if they had seen Rei. Tala frowned and looked at his lover, shaking his head negatively. Bryan began to worry and scan the crowd below them to attempt to find the kitten.

Tala was the first to spot him and grabbed Bryan's arm and pointed to where he saw the long haired tiger.

Bryan looked to where Tala was pointing and found Rei attempting to get away from a particularly pushy guy in the middle of the floor. It looked like the two were starting to shout at each other and Rei was trying to fend off advances from the other man. Apparently Rei was failing desperately to get away and it didn't look like things would get any better for the Chinese youth. Bryan frowned in anger and started looking around for the quickest way to get to Kai. Tala gestured for Bryan to attempt to hop the short railing surrounding the bar as Tala made his way around and down the steps onto the dance floor. Bryan nodded and looked down to make sure no one was below him. Sure enough the small corner was actually empty. He gauged the direction he would have to travel in order to reach Rei and hopped over. He looked up at the steps and saw that Tala and Kai weren't having much luck making it through the crowd. Bryan waved as Tala looked up to find him. He gestured to the door, signaling Kai and Tala to meet him at the car.

Tala quickly understood that Bryan would get to Rei and get him out of the building. They knew the tiger wouldn't want to stay any longer after this incident and it would be easier for Bryan to get the two of them out through the crowd than to try to slide all four of them through. He nodded back towards Bryan and looked to Kai, tipping his head to the door. Kai frowned but nodded and followed his lover to the car.

Once he saw that they were heading out, Bryan continued to make his way towards Rei. It seemed to take forever to reach the kitten, but he eventually found him backed up against the opposite wall with the strange man pinning him there.

'No wonder it seemed to take so long. The bastard worked him further away from me.'

On this side of the floor the music was quieter and it was possible to hear voices. Bryan could hear Rei telling the man to leave him alone and that he wasn't interested. Unfortunately for Rei, the man was apparently either very drunk, very stupid, or both. He kept nuzzling his nose into Rei's neck and whispering in his ear. Rei had turned his head to the side attempting to get away from his tormentor and closed his eyes. He never noticed Bryan's furious look.

Bryan practically ran across the small empty space and pulled the man roughly away from Rei by the shoulder. "I suggest that you leave my friend alone. It seems that he isn't interested and I think you should listen to him."

"Back off man, I saw him first." The man was apparently a complete moron and Bryan was not finding it amusing.

"Bryan!"

Bryan barely heard Rei through his rage. He was fully ready to beat some sense into the stranger when he felt Rei lean into his back, wrapping his arms around Bryan's waist from behind.

"Don't do it Bryan. Let's just go. I don't want to stay here any more. Let's just go home. I want to go home."

Bryan turned around to look at Rei. "But Rei, he had no right doing that to you."

Rei leaned up and slid his arms up from Bryan's waist to his neck. "You said we'd leave when I wanted to. I want to leave. I don't want you fighting. It's just going to cause trouble for you. He won't even remember it in the morning."

Bryan sighed, but nodded in agreement. He turned an angry glare and the man that was staring coldly at him before sliding an arm under Rei's knees and lifting him into his arms to carry him out of the club. Rei let out a surprised squeak and attempted to get Bryan to put him down. Bryan just held Rei closer to his chest, refusing to let him go. "Just let me carry you out Rei. It's my assurance that I won't lose you in the crowd ok? We're leaving. Just give me this assurance ok?"

Rei held still for a moment before nodding and tightening his hold on Bryan. Anyone that saw Bryan coming cleared out of his way. No one wanted to get in the angry falcon's way. The look on his face was pure murder as he carried his friend towards the doorway leading out of the club. He set Rei down at the door only long enough to get their coats on and then he picked the tiger back up and carried him out the door to the parking lot.

Outside, Tala was beginning to think the worst after not seeing Bryan enter the parking area yet. "Something happened. It has to have. Bryan wouldn't be taking this long if everything was going fine. We should go back in and help him. Something probably happened to Rei. Maybe he wasn't able to find him once he got in the crowd."

Kai leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Tala's lips in order to quiet him. "Tala, calm down. Give Bryan a few more minutes. I understand you're worried, but Bryan may just be having a hard time getting through the crowd. If that's the case, we won't be able to help him by running back in there."

"But what if you're wrong, Kai. What if that's not the case?" Tala looked up at Kai with worried eyes.

Kai sighed as he looked down into the deep blue pools of worry. "If he isn't out in five minutes then we'll go in after him ok? But that's a big crowd in there tonight Tala. It's not going to be easy to spot them."

The smaller boy simply nodded and went back to watching the entrance to the parking area, looking for Bryan and the lost tiger. Tala immediately thought the worst when he saw Rei was being carried towards them.

Kai heard his lover's breathing catch in his throat.

However, before he could wrap his arm around his lover in comfort, Tala was running towards Bryan. "My god Bryan, what happened? Rei, are you alright?"

Tala attempted to get Rei to look up at him but Bryan just kept walking towards his car, where he sat Rei down in front of him on the back. "Rei? Are you seriously ok?"

Rei looked up at Bryan and nodded quickly.

Kai laid a hand on Rei's shoulder to get his attention. "I'm so sorry Rei. You were in front of me one minute, the next I was trying to grab your hand and you were gone."

"It's ok Kai; I just got turned around somewhere. It's alright, really."

"No, it's not alright Rei. Some guy was trying to molest you and you wanted me to just leave. You should have let me pound him right there."

Tala and Kai looked at Bryan, both shocked. Kai turned back to Rei with worried eyes. "Rei? Is that true?"

Rei just looked down at his hands.

Bryan slid his arms around Rei's shoulders and held him close. "I'm sorry Rei. I shouldn't have yelled like that. I was worried. When I finally found you and saw the way that guy was touching you, I just felt so angry. No one should be touching you if you don't want them to."

Rei slid his arms around Bryan's waist. "It's ok. Really guys. It scared me, yes, it was wrong, yes, but it's alright now. Bryan found me and I'm out here now. I'm safe with all three of my protectors again. Let's just go home ok? I don't want to stay here. I just want to get home to a shower, please?" He looked passed Bryan towards Kai and Tala. Both of them still looked worried, but they nodded in agreement. Tala spared a last look at Bryan as Kai got in his car and started the engine.

"It's ok Tala. I'll get him home safely. We'll be right behind you."

Tala nodded as Bryan guided Rei off of the car and to the passenger side door. As he closed the door and walked around to the driver's side, he could see Tala leaned back in the other car with his arms across his chest and a thumb between his teeth. Tala was never one to chew on his nails when he was worried, so he knew it was bad. Tala must have been really upset after hearing what had happened. He made a mental note to have them all sit in the living room for a few moments so that Tala could reassure himself that Rei was ok. He wouldn't believe it until he checked for himself. Glancing over at the tiger, he saw Rei with his legs pulled up into the seat with his knees to his chest. He had wrapped his arms around them and was staring out the window as the scenery passed by. One thing was for sure. Tala would definitely be keeping both eyes out for Rei for quite a while.

When Bryan pulled into the driveway, he ran around the car to help Rei out. Bryan held onto Rei's hand as the two made their way towards the door and into the house. Tala quickly came running through the house and right up to wrap his arms around Rei.

Bryan let go of Rei's hand so he could hug Tala and reassure the red-head that he was ok. "Why don't we go sit in the living room? I'm sure Kai already has tea made and I think Rei could use a moment to sit and calm down.

Bryan walked ahead of the two, knowing that Tala wasn't going to let go of the kitten until Rei told him to.

All four settled down on the couch with Tala and Kai wrapping their arms around Rei immediately to reassure them selves that he really was ok.

Kai buried his face in Rei's hair which was now falling freely down his back. "I'm so sorry, Rei. I should have kept a better eye out for you. I shouldn't have let you out of my sight."

Rei slid one arm around Kai and the other around Tala. "It's ok guys. I promise. Nothing major happened. Bryan got there in time and pulled me out."

"I still think you should have let me hit him." Bryan grumbled from one of the chairs, watching the blank screen of the television.

Rei eased his way up from his place between the two team captains and kneeled down beside Bryan's chair. "It wasn't worth it falcon. It would have only caused more problems than it solved. I know you would have felt better, but he just would have caused more trouble."

Bryan laid a hand on Rei's cheek and Rei placed his hand over Bryan's. The two just watched each other for a few minutes before Rei stood and looked to the couple that now sat in each others arms on the couch. "Now, if you guys are convinced now that I'm really ok, I'd like to go take a shower and head to bed. It's late and I'm tired. You guys have a good night and I'll see you in the morning. Tala and Kai both stood and hugged Rei goodnight. Rei turned to see if Bryan was going to want a hug from him as well, but the falcon was still staring at the screen. "Goodnight Bryan."

"Goodnight Rei. Sleep well. Remember, I'm right across the hall if you need anything."

Rei nodded and headed upstairs to his room to shower and get some sleep.

Tala sat on the arm of the chair and wrapped an arm around Bryan's shoulder. "Are you going to be ok Bryan? It looks like you had quite a scare too. You don't have to stay alone if you don't want to. You are both welcomed to curl in our bed if you want. There's plenty of room."

Bryan just shook his head. "No, I'm fine. The adrenaline is just still rushing. I'll be fine. I think Rei's right though. It's been an exhausting night and I think I could use a nice warm bed."

Tala nodded as he joined Kai and followed him up the stairs to their room and crawled into bed.

Bryan followed shortly after the couple left and crawled into his own bed, dozing lightly in case the tiger paid him a visit for comfort.

In Rei's room, he had just gotten out of the shower and crawled into bed when the events really started hitting him. With the lights off, he just kept imagining strange hands running casually over him. He shivered several times before curling in on himself and pulling the thick comforter tighter around him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get warm. He felt cold and even after a shower he felt a little dirty.

After about half an hour of rolling over in bed, he got up and crossed the hall into Bryan's room. He quickly slid into the bed on the side closest to the door and curled against Bryan's back.

Bryan woke from his light doze and turned around to see Rei curled up beside him. "Oh Rei, don't let him get to you. It's not your fault he was an ass."

"I know, I just can't seem to get warm, and I keep imagining that he's running his hands over me still. I don't want to sleep alone tonight. I can't stay by myself tonight. I won't be able to sleep."

"Come here kitten. I'm here with you now." Bryan pulled Rei into his arms as the kitten and pulled him closer to his body heat. The cat immediately snuggled closer to the new heat source. Bryan placed a light kiss on Rei's forehead before closing his own eyes.

"Thank you Bryan." Rei mumbled as he finally fell asleep, wrapped in the security of the Russian's embrace. Bryan noticed his breathing slow into a soft steady rhythm and buried his face into the neck of the tiger. "Goodnight Rei, sweet dreams, love. Hopefully one of these days, I'll be able to care for you like you deserve."


	7. Breaking Loose with New Discoveries

Chapter 7: Breaking Loose with New Discoveries

"Kai, wake up." Tala whispered as he nudged the boy beside him in the shoulder. He knew Kai was a fairly light sleeper so he didn't want to be too loud. He wanted his lover awake, not startled.

"What is it Tala? What's wrong?" Kai groaned, not even opening his eyes.

"I heard someone moving down the hall way after Rei's door opened and closed again. You don't think that guy followed us back do you?" Tala sounded doubtful even as he made the suggestion.

"Tala, you know the system just as well as I do. It was probably the tiger moving rooms."

Tala glanced down at the half asleep boy. "Do you really think it was? I mean, you're right. That's a likely possibility. But do you really think that he went to Bryan's room?"

Kai smiled before peaking up at Tala through one eye. "Have you not noticed the interactions between those two? Bryan will be good for Rei. He'll watch over him. I think in some way, the interest goes both ways, they're just in denial."

Tala gaped down at his lover. "You think they like each other? Well, would explain why Rei has clung to Bryan a little bit. But you have to admit that he hasn't really clung to Bryan any more than he has to either one of us? But it does explain Bryan's reactions to Rei's actions. It would also explain why he was more pissed off than worried earlier tonight at the club. Do you think he was jealous of the guy that was trying to pick Rei up?"

Kai simply smiled and pulled Tala back down to the bed, wrapping his arms around him and trying to go back to sleep. "Go back to bed Tala. They'll take care of themselves in time. Rei won't be ready for that step until he decides he's ready. If we push them together before he's ready, it could split them further apart. That's the last thing Rei needs."

"I wasn't going to try to push them together." Tala tried to sound innocent.

"Don't even try it Wolf, I know you too well. I know your brain was beginning to plot, and I'm telling you now, leave it. You'll know when Rei is ready. Bryan also needs to find his own feelings. If they don't do this by themselves, they'll doubt the whole relationship."

"But Kai, they deserve to be happy." Tala frowned into Kai's chest as he closed his eyes, trying to go back to sleep.

"They will be happy. They just have to do it in their own time. It will be good for them both. Bryan can give Rei the support and backing that he needs. In order to do that effectively he needs to break out of the shell he's built around himself. In the end, they'll help each other. But you are staying out of it."

Tala sighed. "All right, I know nothing. Just answer one thing."

Kai groaned and pulled the red-head tight against his chest. "One last question and then we are going back to sleep."

"Do you think the tiger really is in Bryan's room now? I only heard Rei's door."

"I heard Bryan's door open just a few moments after Rei's. The foot steps went from Rei's room to Bryan's and the alarm is not going off."

Tala pulled back and stared at Kai in shock. "You are a son of a bitch, you know that! You never said anything about hearing Bryan's door open. I thought you were asleep. I never heard it. You could have at least told me when you knew I was worried."

Kai grinned and opened his eyes again to laugh at his lover. "I'm a light sleeper Tala. I was aware of the noises in the house as soon as the door creaked. Do you honestly think I didn't hear it? If you had listened closer instead of babbling to me you would have heard Bryan's door as well. That creep did not follow us back home. Rei is fine, he's in Bryan's room now if I heard right. Now come back here and go back to sleep, love."

Tala frowned and grumbled before settling back down in Kai's arms to attempt sleep for the rest of the morning. Kai could have sworn Tala had called him a few rotten names but he knew the wolf was just grumbling and didn't mean any of it seriously. After a few moments the two fell back into a peaceful sleep, hoping that life would be looking up for both of their other housemates.

_-Dream Sequence-_

"_You're mine Rei, come on. Just follow me."_

_Rei spun in circles trying to escape the hands grabbing at him from all directions. No matter where he turned, he found more hands grabbing at him, trying to pull him into the darkness. "No, I don't want you. You aren't the one I need. I will not be a possession. I'm free. I will remain so. I will not be a caged tiger. Let me go. Please." Rei continued to spin in circles, looking for an escape route._

"_Rei!"_

_The tiger quickly spun once again as he heard the loving voice from before call for him. "Please, where are you! I want to find you but I need help."_

"_Just follow you're heart Rei. It will lead you to me. Break free Rei. Break free and find me, please."_

"_Rei finally shoved at the hands surrounding him, making his own escape route. He quickly took his chance and broke away, running towards the voice that seemed to care so much for him._

_-End Dream Sequence-_

"Rei, Rei, wake up, it's alright." Bryan gently shook the sleeping tiger, trying to wake him from whatever dream he was fighting.

"No, don't go yet. I'll find you. WAIT!" Rei's voice rose as he sat up quickly, almost smashing into Bryan on the way up. Rei looked around, slowly waking up, and noticed the sun was already up.

"Rei? Are you ok? You were talking in your sleep again. You were looking for someone, telling them you'd find them. Who were you looking for Rei?" Bryan placed a hand gently on Rei's shoulder.

The tiger looked over his shoulder at Bryan. He smiled at the worried falcon. "It's alright Bryan. It was just a dream, don't worry about it."

"Are you sure Rei? You were tossing quite a bit." Bryan continued to give Rei a worried look.

Rei leaned over and hugged the falcon close to him. "I'm really alright Bryan. Don't worry about it. Why don't we go down and get some breakfast. You guys have been worried enough about me the last few days. Why don't we go out to the mall or something? I could wander around and see if anyone is hiring. I'm going to need to get a job at some point and that way I won't be sitting around the house all the time. I'm sure you guys have to get back to work soon and I don't want to be here alone all the time while you guys work."

"You don't have to get right out there Rei. It's okay if you want to wait a little bit before you do."

Rei smiled as he stood from the bed and made his way to the door. He looked back to make sure Bryan was right behind him. "It's really ok Bryan. I want to do it. I need to do something with myself. Now come on, I'm a little hungry."

The two made their way down the stairs to find Tala and Kai already seated at the table with pancakes and French toast sitting in the middle. "Awesome you guys already made breakfast. It looks wonderful." Rei sat beside Kai and made himself a plate to eat.

Kai smiled at Rei as the tiger found his seat and mumbled a good morning.

"Rei was thinking of heading out to the mall today. What do you two have planned?" Bryan asked from his seat beside Tala.

Tala frowned as he thought through the plans for the day. "I don't think we have anything really. We don't have to go back to work till tomorrow. I think it sounds like a good idea to hit the mall as long as Rei is ok with going out."

Rei smiled at the wolf. "Don't worry about me. I'd like to go check out the mall. I want to see what there is here. I'm okay. Forget that last night happened. I had fun, it got late, and we came home. Everything else is blown over the shoulder. Don't even think about it. I'm fine. Really."

Kai smiled at his friend again. "All right then. After we clean up breakfast, we'll get dressed and head over to the mall. I'm sure Tala would love the chance to do some shopping and Rei could get to know the area just a little bit."

Rei looked around and found Tala with a huge grin spreading across his face. "Tala, what's the grin for?" The tiger never pictured Tala to be one to love outings like this that much.

"Rei, you have know idea what kind of a box you just opened. I hope you're ready for a long day, because you are going to see absolutely everything there is to see in that mall. It's been awhile since I really got to go shopping. Add on the fact that between the three of us, we can do a very good shopping spree."

Rei frowned a little at the redhead before smiling and shaking his head. "Who would have ever thought that our wolf is a shopaholic?"

Bryan laughed as he set his empty plate in the sink and began filling the sink to wash the dishes. The boys all quickly finished breakfast and cleaning before they headed upstairs for a shower and change of clothes.

Rei enjoyed gazing out the window of Kai's black car as they cruised down the streets on their way to the mall. Bryan sat beside him in the back seat pointing out interesting areas that they passed along the way and promised to bring him back to show him more places at a later time. Kai glanced into the rearview mirror in time to catch Rei's eyes go wide at the sight of the huge mall that now loomed in front of them. It only seemed to get bigger as Kai maneuvered the car around to the other side of the building. The mall appeared to grow off the side of a hill as he noticed two separate levels appear on the other side. He hadn't seen very many malls except for when they traveled, and even then he hadn't seen one so huge.

Kai and Tala grinned as the car was parked outside the food court and everyone made their way inside.

Tala looked in all directions as Rei looked around both levels surrounding them. "I think our best bet is to probably just circle the bottom level, drop things off at the car if we need to, and then circle the top. We should hit everything then and it should place us at some of the good restaurants around lunch time."

Kai nodded in agreement as he grabbed Tala's hand and pulled him towards the escalator that led down to the bottom level. From what Rei could see, the bottom level appeared to be made up of electronics and clothing stores. When he looked the other way, he could see a couple of small restaurants lined down the walk way. "I assume we're going that way so that we end up coming back around to those?"

Tala grinned and nodded at the tiger as he pulled his lover up the walkway. Kai groaned as Tala laced their fingers together and pulled him along. "Let the games begin. I hope you're ready for a long day Rei. You'll ready for a good night's sleep if Tala has his way today, and when it comes to the mall, he usually does."

Rei laughed and looked back to Bryan behind him. Bryan placed his hand on Rei's waist and guided him along the walkway behind the other two. They made a quick stop in a music store where Rei simply flipped through some cds and continued on his way. He loved music but wanted to get a chance to get himself settled into his new room and with the other three before he started buying more things along those lines. As they exited the music store, Tala's eyes went wide with joy as he spotted the next store. Rei looked over and saw the clothing store that was now before them. "What's so special about this one?" he asked Bryan.

"This is one of Tala's favorite stores to shop for clothes to wear to the clubs. Be careful kitty cat. He likes to shop for others as well. The wolf doesn't go to clubs alone and he likes to match those he does go out with. Kai is usually the one being dressed up but seeing as how you are new here, you will probably fall subject to his critique."

Rei simply laughed as they all entered the store. Sure enough, Tala dragged Rei straight to the front corner of the store and began piling clothes in his arms. After a couple of outfits were picked out, Tala sent Rei to the fitting rooms to try them on so he could see how they would look. Bryan watched as Tala sent Rei back and forth. He added his own opinion on the outfits he thought suited Rei and the ones he thought would only bring trouble for the tiger. By the time Tala was done, Rei was carrying three bags to add to his dresser and closet and Tala had found some new accessories for himself.

Next were some game stores and electronics shops. Kai decided to make a pit stop in one of the electronics shops while Tala and Bryan took Rei into the game store. While Tala and Bryan were checking out one of the new sports games for one of their game systems, Kai slid in behind Rei and handed him a small bag from the electronics store. "What's this Kai?" Rei questioned as he peaked into the bag. His eyes quickly widened as he took in the boxes that were held inside. "Kai, you really didn't have to."

Kai smiled and pulled Rei close to his side by the waist. "I know I didn't. I wanted to. The cell phone will come in handy here. When we get home, I'll make sure we get all the numbers programmed into it for you. This way, if you want to go out while we're at work, you don't have to worry about getting in touch with us if you need to. We also won't worry as much about where you are. You can leave a note at home if you decide to go out and we'll call you when we get it. If you need to get in touch with us while you're out, you have access to us at any time."

Rei smiled and wrapped his arm around Kai's waist in return. "Thank you Kai. I appreciate it. I'm sure it will be very useful."

"It wasn't a problem Rei. The three of us are set up so the phones are linked together. I just had them add you on with another phone. The other box isn't much. It's just a few accessories for the real present. I figured that with you thinking things through and not sure about a job or school or what not, that you could use a few things to help with anything that may come along the way. Sometime next week, they'll be sending a computer to the house for you. It's something you can use for school or fun. We all have our own system set up and a wireless network at the house. Bryan and Tala have all kinds of games they play online together. Consider it a welcome to the house gift maybe?"

Rei laughed. "You really didn't have to, but I will enjoy the gift. You guys are really spending entirely too much on me today. I don't know how to thank you."

Kai smiled down and gently kissed Rei on the cheek. "You don't have to thank us Rei. We just want to help you get settled into the house. And everything we've done has been to make you more comfortable or help you. There is no need to thank us. Just being happy where you are is thanks enough."

"I am happy Kai. Thank you. Now, I think it's time we drag these two out of here. It's getting pretty close to lunch time. If we want to pick a restaurant and get our food before we get too hungry, we better go now."

Kai nodded and let go of Rei so that he could pull his wolf out of the store. Bryan laughed and guided Rei behind them further down the hall a nice looking Chinese restaurant. Rei noticed the help wanted sign in the front window with interest. He had always liked working with food. It would suit him just fine to work in a restaurant and it did look like a fairly nice place. The girl at the front quickly sat all four of them at a table and took a drink order for them. When she asked Rei what he would like, he gave her his order and asked about the sign in the front window. "What kind of help are looking for?"

"We have waiter and bartender positions open. Would you like one of the applications to take home? We really need some help in the waiter area. It's been a little short staffed lately." She smiled at Rei as she wrote down their drink orders and placed the menus on the table.

"Sure, thank you."

Kai looked at Rei with a small frown. "Are you sure Rei? You don't have to jump at the first opportunity for a job. You don't need to worry about it."

Rei smiled back at Kai. "Thank you Kai. But I do need to do something. How will I know what I want to do if I don't start getting out and start trying new things? I always was good in the kitchen and have always loved working with food. Maybe I can start as a waiter and move into the kitchen and be a cook. You never know."

Tala placed a hand on Kai's knee under the table and smiled at Rei. "I think that sounds like a good plan Rei. Have you thought about getting the experience and trying to open your own place? If you enjoy the field that much, you could probably do well running your own place."

Rei smiled at the thought and looked down at the table. "When I was younger I use to think that would be a nice idea. As I got older it seemed like an impossible dream. I haven't thought about it much recently though. There's a lot to it other than just knowing food and having some experience."

"You could always take some management classes or business classes. It's not an impossible dream Rei. If it's what you want, you should go for it. You don't have to make a decision now. Just think about it ok?"

Rei smiled and nodded as the waitress came back with their drinks and the application. She took their orders and went back to the kitchen. It didn't take very long for them to get their food and finish lunch. The waitress, Michelle, said goodbye and bid them a good day. She told Rei she looked forward to seeing him again soon with his filled out application and the boys continued on their way around the mall. Tala made a quick stop in one last clothing store and bought Rei a few more things for around the house and just being out and about. He figured Rei could use some more clothes for just hanging out. "Tala, my closet and dresser are already full from the shopping trip that was done without me, where am I going to put this stuff?"

Tala grinned at Rei as they exited the store. "Simple. We didn't have a whole lot of furniture in there because we wanted you to have a choice. When we make the circle upstairs, we can go into the home furnishings department of one of the stores and you can pick out a second dresser that I know will fit by the way, and a desk. We can also check out getting you any linens or things for the bathroom that you may want to change. Everything that is in that room was set for a guest room. It's your room now and it's time to personalize it for you."

Rei grinned as he prepared his plan for running Tala around the store for decorations. As they came up to another game store, Bryan pulled Rei in behind him. He had heard Kai tell Rei that the tiger would be getting a new computer, and Bryan was determined to get Rei involved with the computer gaming. He knew the basic software that would be included with the new system, so he began picking out games and other programs that he thought the kitten would enjoy. By the time they left, Rei was loaded down with all the bags from their shopping and Bryan was taking a few off of his hands.

Rei plopped himself down into a chair in the food court as they completed their circle. "I think it's time to drop some things off guys. My arms are loaded."

Tala laughed at Rei as he took up a few of the bags. "Alright kitten. You and Bryan wait here. Kai and I will take this stuff out to the car and be back in a few. After that we'll continue the top level. There isn't as much that we should hit up here. There's just another clothing store really. It's bigger than the others, but it's a store that we all usually shop at. That's where we'll hit the home furnishings for you're other stuff and then we'll be headed home. You two just sit right there and we'll be right back."

"You two behave out there. Remember we're still in public, as if that's ever stopped you before." Bryan grinned as Tala feigned shock.

"I don't know what you are implying Bryan. We always behave."

"Yeah right. I saw the small make out session just inside the fitting rooms of the last clothing store. Don't pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about."

Rei giggled at Bryan's side as the wolf and phoenix carried everything out to the car. It didn't take them long to drop everything off and return to their friends.

Tala pulled Rei down the walkway upstairs until they reached the next shop. "This is really the only other store to hit, and then we'll head home and get everything put away, ok?"

Rei nodded as the redhead pulled him through the home furnishings department. Sure enough, Rei was able to find a desk that would suit his needs and another dresser to fit all of his new clothes. They talked to one of the sales clerks about setting up a delivery time later that evening and Rei was left to his own devices with Bryan as Kai and Tala went their own separate way. Rei quickly discovered why Tala and the other two enjoyed this store. They carried all kinds of styles. It wouldn't matter what kind of look they were hunting for, they could probably find it here. Rei quickly picked up a few things and found the fitting room. He took note that Bryan was close by in case he wanted to ask the falcon's opinion of the outfit. He tried on a couple of shirts and decided he didn't really like how they looked once he had them on. He kind of liked the baggy cargo pants he had found. He stepped out of the fitting room to ask Bryan what he thought, but didn't see the falcon anywhere. "Hmm, I could have sworn he was right there. I guess I'll go ahead and get these and see what they think later."

"I think those look nice. They suit you very well."

Rei spun around, slightly spooked by the unknown voice.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. You seemed to be looking for another opinion and the person you were looking for wasn't here. My name is Josh." The stranger held his hand out to Rei in a friendly gesture with a smile.

Rei quickly took in the fact that this stranger was several inches taller than him. He appeared friendly enough to Rei though, so he didn't see any harm in introducing himself. "My name is Rei. You're right. I thought my friend was right here but I guess he walked off to continue shopping. Thanks for the opinion though. I think I'll go ahead and buy these." Rei then turned back to the dressing room to collect the clothes he wanted to buy and return those he didn't. When he left the fitting room, Josh was still waiting outside looking through some clothes on the close by racks. Rei quickly looked around trying to find Bryan above the racks.

Josh noticed him looking around. "Still don't see you're friend?"

Rei smiled gently at the man and continued looking over the racks. "No. That's really funny. I could have sworn I saw him earlier. I guess he's around the other side. Thanks though. I'll just be on my way. It was nice meeting you."

"Wait, Rei, I'm heading over that way anyway, why don't I walk with you? Another set of eyes could do well while you look for your friend."

Rei simply shrugged his shoulders and described Bryan to Josh. They walked their way around to the other side of the store.

"So I haven't seen you around here before Rei? You don't look Russian, are you new in the area?"

"Yeah, I'm from China. I just moved in with a few friends who live around here. The small village life just didn't suit me anymore, so I moved in with my friends."

"How did you meet them if you're from a small village in China?"

"I was on the same team with one of them. And all three of them have been friends since they were little. We all compete in the same sport together."

Josh suddenly looked like everything was clear. "Now I know where I know you from. You beyblade, don't you? You're from the Bladebreakers."

Rei blushed and nodded as he continued to look around for Bryan. "Yeah, that was my team."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm not going to go all star struck on you. You're pretty good in the dish. Maybe we could get together some time and spin a few."

Rei nodded and frowned as he still didn't spot Bryan. "Sure, maybe we could. I hear there's a pretty good park with some dishes around here."

Josh nodded and pointed to Rei's other side. Rei looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "I think I just found your friend. He doesn't really look to happy, though."

Rei was about to turn around when he felt Bryan slide an arm around his waist and pull him close. "I've been looking for you, kitten. I went back to the fitting rooms but you weren't there."

Rei looked up at Bryan and smiled. "I finished and figured you had wandered elsewhere, so I went looking for you."

Josh smiled at the two.

"Who's this?" Bryan frowned and nodded towards Rei's company. "Bryan, this is Josh. I ran into him over by the fitting rooms. He was helping me look for you."

Josh held his hand out to Bryan in a friendly gesture.

Bryan shook hands with the stranger. "Thank you for helping him. We have to be on our way though. Tala and Kai are probably looking for us and it's time to head home."

Josh nodded and waved goodbye to Rei. "Bye Rei, it was nice meeting you. Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime."

Bryan frowned as Josh walked away. He held Rei closer to him as they walked up to the counter to pay for their items and meet with Tala and Kai. "You met him by the fitting rooms?"

Rei looked up at the falcon curiously. "Yeah, he was shopping through the racks there when I came out to find you. I was going to ask your opinion about some outfits but you weren't there. He gave me his opinion and helped me find you."

Bryan frowned, but stayed silent.

Rei picked up on the protectiveness. "It's ok Bryan. He didn't push anything. We were just talking. I need to make other friends here besides you guys. I need to know other people around this area. I can't depend on only you three. I love you all, but it would still be a little lonely for me. I need to meet people. You are all family to me, but I need to be able to find more. In order to do that, I need to meet people. Please, Bryan. Don't cage me in."

Bryan looked down at Rei and took in the sad eyes. He wrapped his other arm around the tiger and apologized. "I'm sorry, Rei. I don't mean to cage you in. I just want to make sure you aren't hurt. I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds."

Rei smiled and tightened his hold around the falcon. "It's ok Bryan. Let's just head out to meet Tala and Kai. I think it's getting closer to dinner time and we need to get home to meet the delivery truck."

Bryan nodded as they walked to the store entrance. They quickly found Tala and Kai already waiting for them. They made it out of the mall with only one more stop at a pet store. Rei got caught up with the kittens and found a bright orange tabby that he fell in love with. Bryan immediately found someone to pick out the tabby for Rei and found all the other items they would need for the pet. Kai and Tala smiled at the look on Rei's face. "Bryan, you really don't have to. It's a lot to ask to get a pet. It's your house."

Tala smiled. "It's ok Rei. We just never thought about getting a pet. If you want this kitten though, you're welcome to get him. It's not like you'll let him run loose tearing things up anyway. Not to mention he doesn't look like the type of cat to do that type of thing."

Bryan reached towards the kitten and gently petted him. The kitten leaned into Bryan's hand and began purring. Rei smiled at the reaction. "I guess that means he likes everyone. Thank you Bryan. I think I'll call him Flare."

Bryan smiled as the clerk put together a package of food, bowls, and collar for the kitten. "This will give you another friend for at home when we aren't there Rei. Even if we aren't there, you'll have Flare to keep you company." Rei smiled as they made their way out of the mall and towards the car.

They all got settled in and surprisingly Flare seemed to have no problem with the car. They had also gotten a carrier for him and he had settled in to sleep on the way home. Bryan slipped his hand into Rei's on top of the carrier between them. "So are you going to be meeting up with Josh again?"

Tala turned around to face the two in the backseat. "Who's Josh?"

Rei looked to Bryan with a frown. "He's somebody I met in the store after we split up. Bryan disappeared and Josh was shopping by the fitting rooms when I came out to find Bryan. We talked a little as he helped me find Bryan. I don't know if I'll be seeing him again. We didn't swap numbers or anything but he says he lives around here. What are the odds that I'll run into him again here?"

Tala frowned. "Well you are thinking about taking the job at the restaurant. He's bound to be in the mall again. It's possible. Who knows what could happen. It could be good for you to meet more friends."

Bryan frowned again and looked out the window. Rei tightened his hold on Bryan's hand. "Bryan, are you ok? What's wrong?"

Bryan just smiled at Rei and shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong. I just didn't get a good vibe from that guy. But you know how to take care of yourself. Just be careful, ok?"

Rei smiled and nodded. "I promise Bryan. If I run into him again and he does something wrong, you'll be the first to know, ok?"

Bryan smiled and tightened his grip on Rei's hand. Tala and Kai shared a small smile in the front seat at the exchange.

It didn't take them long to get home and get everything in. Rei immediately took Flare inside and set him down in the kitchen with some food and water. The kitten happily wandered around the kitchen while the four carried everything in.

While Rei was in the kitchen getting everything set up for Flare, Tala pulled Bryan onto the couch between him and Kai. "Bryan, are you really ok about this Josh guy? We've seen how you are around Rei. If you don't like the feeling you get from this guy, Rei will listen. If you don't like this guy for other reasons Bryan, it's even more of a reason for you to tell Rei. You can't cage him, but you can tell him how you feel. Rei is close enough with you and he seems to return some of the feelings. I just don't think he knows there's a possibility of them being returned."

Bryan shook his head. "Rei can take care of himself. If he's ready for a relationship, he deserves someone that can return his feelings. I can't give him what he needs right now. Hopefully later, he'll still be there. But I can't make him hold back because of me. He deserves more."

Kai frowned and wrapped his arms around Bryan. "Oh, Bryan. Just hang on. Things will work out in the end. You'll see. You'll break out of you're shell in your own time. You are learning your own feelings all over again at your own pace. Things will happen soon enough. You can't rush it. You just have to be patient."

Tala stood as he heard the door bell. "That's probably the delivery truck. Why don't you go answer it and help Rei get his stuff settled back into his room. I'll go get Flare and we'll keep him out of the way until you guys get things in."

Bryan nodded. The evening passed quickly and by the time Rei and Bryan had everything settled in, Kai and Tala had dinner ready. They ate, showered, and headed up to bed. Flare found himself a cozy place at the foot of Rei's bed after the tiger curled under the blankets. His tiny head perked up though as his ears picked up the mumbling from the falcon's room.

_Dream Sequence-_

"_You're just a shell of a person."_

"_You're really just a robot aren't you?"_

"_You don't have a heart. You can't feel anything."_

"_Yes I do, please, stop this. I want to feel emotion again. I don't want to be closed in anymore." Bryan tried to push away the walls surrounding him, but they refused to move._

"_Bryan, you can break free. Don't cage yourself in. Fly free. You need to break free of the shell for me to find you. Your shell hides you. Break free."_

"_I'm trying, please. Just help me. I don't want to be in here anymore. I feel pain, I feel sorrow, and I feel helplessness. I've known happiness with Kai and Tala and now Rei. Please. I'm finding all my feelings again. I don't want to be here."_

_Bryan continued to beat the wall in front of him even as tears began to fall from his eyes. Slowly the walls began to slide away and he was able to push his way through the maze. The voice was getting louder. He knew he was getting closer. _

"_Keep fighting Bryan. I'm coming to find you, but you need to break free a little more. Break free and I will find you, love. You just have to help me find you."_

"_Please, I want to feel love. I want to be able to love in return." Bryan pushed the last wall out of his way and felt himself fall free of the shell that had been placed around him. "Please, I'm out of that maze, where are you?"_

_The voice seemed to come from right behind him. "You can love in return; you just have to find it."_

"_Please, where are you? I want to find you!"_

"_You have, you just have to see me."_

_Bryan spun around to try to find the voice but once again he faced emptiness. "Wait!"_

_-End Dream Sequence-_

"WAIT!" Bryan snapped straight up in bed as he woke from his dream. He looked around the dark room and figured it was still fairly late at night. "Damn, his dreams are rubbing off on me now."

"Bryan? Are you ok?" Rei called through the door as he knocked.

Bryan looked up at the knocking. He stood from the bed and opened the door for the worried tiger. "Rei, what are you doing up?"

Rei frowned at Bryan. "I heard Flare scratching at your door. When I came to see what was wrong I heard you calling in your sleep. Are you alright?"

Bryan nodded and looked down at the little kitten that had its front paws resting against his shins. He leaned down and picked the little one up. "It's ok Flare. It was just a dream."

Rei frowned and reached up to wipe the tears away from Bryan's cheeks. "Are you sure Bryan? You look pretty shaken. Do you want us to sleep in here with you? Flare seems to want to stay with you anyway."

Bryan smiled at Rei. "I think I would like that. I think it's kind of lonely sleeping by my self now. I've gotten so use to having someone there with me the last couple of days."

Rei smiled and slid into the room. Bryan set Flare down at the end of the bed before climbing under the blankets. Rei quickly slid closer to Bryan and curled into his arms. "Good night falcon. Get some more rest. We'll be here."

Bryan smiled. He waited until he could hear Rei's soft, even breathing before kissing his kitten good night. "Good night, love. I think I know what that dream was trying to tell me. Everything I needed was right under my nose." Flare crawled up to settle on the pillow above the two heads before falling back to sleep with his new friends.


	8. Reunions and Opportunities

Chapter 8: Reunions and Opportunities

Kai allowed a small smile to pass over his lips as he awoke to the sun beginning to rise. The redhead next to him continued to sleep, deep within his own dreams. Kai laughed gently and headed for the shower. He was determined that they would begin this day on the right side of the bed. After his shower he softly padded down the hallway towards the stairs. He stopped briefly at Bryan's door so that he could peek in on the tiger and falcon. Sure enough they were both still sound asleep, curled into each other's arms in the middle of the bed. Flare merely opened one eye just enough to see who was intruding on the pair. Kai laughed and softly closed the door again to make his way to the kitchen so that he could make breakfast.

Even though Kai had closed the door as quietly as he could, the tiger had still awoken to the disturbance. He smiled to himself and shifted further into the arms surrounding him. He enjoyed waking up to the presence of the falcon. He looked above him on the bed when he heard a soft mewl. Flare noticed that his friend was awake and slowly stepped his way in between the two, trying to burrow in between the two men. Bryan frowned at the disturbance. "Cat, you really need to settle down. Just who do you think you are?" Bryan opened one eye to glare at the fur ball that now sat in between him and his kitten. Flare just looked at Bryan and mewled again. Behind the orange cat, Rei laughed at the pair.

Bryan raised an eyebrow at the tiger. "You really think it's funny that he walks all over me don't you?"

"Aww, Bryan he's not walking all over you. He's trying to lie in between us to get in the middle of all the body heat and it just so happens there's no where else for him to walk."

Bryan smiled as he closed his eyes again. Rei slid an arm around Bryan's waist, covering Flare at the same time. "Hey Bryan, how are you feeling this morning? You seemed pretty upset last night."

Bryan pulled both cats closer to him. "I'm alright Rei. It was just a dream. My mind was just making me see a few things. That's all. I feel better now though so it's ok."

"Are you sure? It really seemed to upset you last night. Even Flare was worried. I don't want you to be upset Bryan."

Bryan smiled and sat up, pulling Rei from the bed. He wrapped his arms around Rei as he breathed in the scent of the tiger. "I'm fine Rei. I promise I am. Let's go have breakfast. That was probably Kai I heard peek in earlier. I can guarantee that he was on his way down to make breakfast before we all head off to work. So let's go join him."

Rei smiled and both boys made their way to the kitchen. Tala was the last to arrive at the table. Once everyone was seated, Kai placed two heaping plates full of pancakes and French toast in the middle of the table. He was determined to get a good routine for breakfast started so that hopefully they could get Rei back to a healthy weight. Things were definitely looking good for the tiger and he didn't think there would be a problem trying to boost the moral of his friend any longer.

Over breakfast Kai had programmed everyone's cell phone numbers into Rei's new cell phone, as well as the number to reach them at the abbey and the number to the house. "Just remember to take this with you if you decide to go out Rei. That way if we need to get in touch with you or you with us, you'll be able to."

Rei smiled and clipped the case onto the belt he had worn with the baggy jeans.

"Alright guys, it's about time to head to work." Tala spoke up as he set the empty dishes in the sink. He started running warm water into the sink as well.

Rei slid up beside Tala at the sink. "Don't worry about dishes Tala. I'll wash them. You guys go ahead and get to work. You don't want to be late. I'm just going to take that application back to the restaurant. So I'll do the clean up around here this morning."

Kai frowned. "Are you sure you can get there ok Rei? You've only been there once. You can use one of the cars, of course. I really don't want you using the bus, but do you remember the way there and back?"

Rei smiled and hugged the phoenix. "I'll be fine Kai. Don't worry about me. You guys get to work. I'll be here when you get home."

All three Russians helped clear the table and then started heading towards the garage to head to work. Bryan paused by the tiger as the other two left the room. "Are you sure you'll be ok on your own Rei? You can always come check things out at the abbey. There're plenty of things the three of us take care of there now. I'm sure you could keep yourself busy for the day."

"Bryan, don't worry, I'll be fine. Get going already, you'll be late." Rei smiled and pushed the falcon towards the door.

Bryan quickly turned around and pulled Rei flush against his chest. "Just take care of yourself while you're out, okay? Call if you're going to be later than us."

Rei returned the embrace, comforting the falcon. "Don't worry Bryan. I'll run out and be right back. You won't even notice that I was gone."

Bryan pulled away from the tiger in his arms and simply lost himself in the golden eyes for a few moments before Tala yelled for him. Slowly, Bryan turned away and left with the other two.

After everyone else had left, Rei gathered his wallet and application and left for the mall. Just as he had told Kai, he had no problems finding his way. He had watched the area and streets during the whole drive the day before. It was easy to find his way back. Once inside he dropped off his application to the same girl that had been their waitress the day before. She asked him to wait a few moments so he could do a short interview with the staffing manager. Things seemed to be going very well for him. After the brief interview, the manager asked him to come back the next day for a trial run. She would have him fill out the paperwork and follow someone around during the afternoon for a couple of hours. Things seemed to be going very well for him. He would be working in a restaurant. He would have the opportunity to work in the kitchen as a cook if things went well. The manager had told him that they were more in need of waiters and waitresses than cooks at the moment. But if they could hire someone else for the position in the mean time, they would shift him to the kitchen if he worked well.

On his way out the door he waved to Michelle and headed out towards pet shop. He wanted to get a few toys for Flare. The kitten had already shown that he could be a playful one at times. There had been times that Rei had caught him stretching to catch the length of hair that fell down Rei's back. It was a simple temptation for the cat. Rei found some small toys that Flare could chase around when he had no one to play with.

By the time he had made the rounds and found himself back at the food court, it was just about lunch time. Just as he rounded the corner to the food court, his cell phone rang.

"Hmm, it says it's Kai's number. It must be lunch time for them as well." Rei hit the answer button and placed the phone to his ear. "Hello Phoenix. Is it time for lunch for you too?"

He heard Kai's laughter on the other side. "Hello Tiger. Yes, it is lunch time. I tried calling the house but you didn't answer. I assume you're at the mall by the sound in the background."

"Yup, I dropped off the application and picked up some toys for Flare."

"How did it go?" Rei thought Kai was just as eager as he was about the job.

"It was wonderful. I think Flare will love the toys I bought for him."

Rei laughed when he heard Kai grumbling on the other end. "Not the shopping Dopey, the job. How did it go when you dropped off the application?"

"I know what you were talking about. It went very well. I had a short interview and I come back tomorrow afternoon for a couple of hours to do the paperwork and learn my way around. I'll be following Michelle for a little bit to learn the routine of how things run. If everything goes well over the next couple of weeks and they can hire and keep enough waiters and waitresses, they'll move me into the kitchen as a cook for a test run."

"That's great Rei. I'm happy it worked for you."

"I am too, Kai. Look, I'm going to let you go. I'm going to grab something to eat and then head home. I'll see you guys when you get home tonight okay?"

"Okay, Rei. Take care and we'll see you tonight. Bye."

"Bye, Kai."

Rei then hung up the phone and turned to scout out what he wanted to eat. As he started walking towards the middle of the area, he bumped into someone coming from the other direction. "Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's not a problem, Rei."

Rei quickly spun to see who would know him. Looking up he saw Josh grinning down at him. He smiled at the other man and took a step back. "Hi Josh, how are you? I didn't think I'd run into you again today."

Josh smiled and put his hand on the small of Rei's back, guiding him towards a nice Chinese stand in the food court. "I work at a game shop down the east wing. Sorry, I never got to tell you yesterday."

Rei just followed as the other man guided him to the stand and then a table with their food. "It's ok. It's not like that topic popped up in conversation."

"This is very true. So what are you doing here again today?"

"I was dropping off an application at a restaurant down the west wing."

Josh grinned at the tiger. "So I'll get to see you more often then huh? Maybe we'll run into each other since we'll both be working in the mall, you never know. Maybe we can have lunch sometime again?" He looked at Rei with hope.

Rei laughed. "Yeah, I think we can do that."

"You have a really nice smile, Rei. You should smile all the time. It makes you're eyes just glow."

Rei blushed and looked down at his plate. Josh reached across the table and placed his finger under Rei's chin. He lifted slightly, forcing Rei to look up at him. "You are a wonderful person Rei, and definitely easy on the eyes. You should be happy more often. I know you have friends who care for you. So why do you seem so down when I compliment you?"

Rei shrugged. "I guess I'm just not use to getting compliments like that."

"You should receive them more often. It's only the truth." Josh leaned across the table and gently brushed his lips across Rei's. Rei gently placed a hand up to Josh's chest and pushed him away.

"Josh, please. I didn't mean to lead you on. I'm sorry if I did."

Josh smiled and sat back down in his seat. "That's alright. You didn't lead me on exactly. I just figured it was worth a shot. But I guess with someone like Bryan, I just didn't stand a chance, did I?"

Rei shook his head. "Josh, you are someone wonderful. Bryan's and I aren't attached. I'm just not ready at the moment for a relationship. I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you. I understand if you don't want to, but couldn't we be just friends?"

Josh nodded and smiled. "Of course we can be friends Rei. Are you sure you and Bryan aren't attached? He seemed really protective of you yesterday."

"I've been through a few things within the last few weeks. Bryan and the others are protective of me since they took me in. They saved me from myself. They just don't want me to get hurt. Bryan is very protective of me, but it's nothing like that. He's just the one I've leaned on when the nightmares come. He's the one that's there to help me sleep at night sometimes."

Josh nodded. "I see now. But, Rei, I think you deny what you don't want to see. Did he ask you about me yesterday after you guys left?"

Rei nodded while pushing his food around his plate.

"Did he worry about you when you said you'd be coming here again today?"

Again Rei nodded and frowned at his food.

"Does he hold you at night when you're upset? When the nightmare's come, does he sleep next to you to chase them away?"

Again Rei nodded as a blush spread across his cheeks.

"Rei, I need you to look at me."

Rei looked up at Josh with shy eyes.

"Rei, when you wake up in the morning who is the first person you want to see? Don't tell me who's there for you. Tell me who you feel you always want there."

Rei looked back down at his food and once again Josh reached across the table to force Rei to look at him. "When I wake up, every time I turn around, I can't imagine Bryan NOT being there one way or another. He's always there. He's there to hug me when I need the contact and support. He's there to listen when I need a shoulder to cry on. It's just how it's been since I've gotten here. Josh, it can't be like that. I'm not ready for a relationship yet, it's all moving so fast."

Josh laughed at the man across the table. "I think you are ready Rei, you're just denying yourself because you don't want to be hurt. Bryan won't hurt you if he can help it. I think you should take the chance with him Rei. He won't let you down."

Rei smiled as he thought about things. "Do you really think it could work?"

"You'll never be ready for the chance if you don't try it Rei. You and Bryan are already close, why not try it? If you guys are as close as you tell me, nothing will really change. You don't need to be ready for a change that won't happen yet. If something should change later down the road, you two will find your way with time."

Rei smiled and they both stood and emptied their trays. "Thank you, Josh. I think I'll take your advice to heart. I should head back home now though. I have a few things I need to get done there. Let me give you my number. That way we know we can get together again?"

Josh nodded as Rei pulled out his cell phone and gave Josh the number as well as the home phone number. Rei gave Josh a hug as they separated and Rei headed home.

Flare was happy to see his new toys when Rei set them in a corner of the living room. While Flare was busy playing with his new toys, Rei put some more food and water in his bowls. Rei then continued to put together a pan of lasagna to bake for dinner. Afterwards, both cats curled together on the couch and watched the television while they waited for everyone to come home.

When Tala came through the door, the first thing he did was pull Rei into a tight hug. "Congratulations Rei. We knew you could get that job. And the opportunity to work in the kitchen is awesome? Things are going to go well for you, kitten. I just know they will."

Rei laughed as he pulled himself away from the hug. "Thank you Tala. Now, if you're done squeezing the life out of me, dinner should be ready. I made lasagna when I got home."

After hanging up coats and removing shoes, everyone made their way into the kitchen for the dinner Rei had made.

"So Rei, what else did you do today?" Kai asked from the other end of the counter where he was pulling down plates.

"Not much. Like I said, I bought some toys for Flare. Maybe that will give him something to spend that excess energy on. He was quite the feisty kitten this morning. After that I ran into Josh again at the food court and we had lunch. After that we swapped numbers and I came home. He works in one of the game stores in the mall, so we thought we'd get together for lunch sometime."

Bryan frowned and Rei noticed. "What's wrong Bryan? Did it not come out right? I could have sworn I did everything right."

Bryan shook his head. "No, it's not that. It tastes wonderful. I think I'm just more tired than I thought today."

Rei frowned for a moment but shrugged it off as everyone continued eating. Bryan volunteered to help Rei with the dishes while Tala and Kai made their way to the living room to watch the television.

Bryan frowned as he was putting the last of the now clean dishes back into the cabinet. "So you ran into Josh again today?"

Rei nodded as he wiped down the counters. "Yeah, I think it's going to be nice having a friend like him. He really is a nice guy."

"How do you know? You haven't even known him longer than a day yet, Rei? How can you know he's a good guy or not?"

Rei stopped and looked at Bryan. "He seemed like a pretty nice guy Bryan. He at least deserves a chance."

Bryan leaned on the counter. "He didn't try anything on you did you?"

Rei blushed when he remembered the very brief kiss they had shared.

Bryan's eyes widened as he took in the blush. He didn't even give Rei a chance to respond. "He did, didn't he? I knew it. And you're defending him?"

"Bryan, it was only a small kiss…"

"And you let him do it? Rei what are you thinking?"

"Bryan, you aren't listening."

"I don't need to Rei, you let a practical stranger kiss you and now you're defending him and calling him a nice guy. Rei he doesn't know you. You're probably just a celebrity to him. You were everywhere on the news during the championships."

Rei's frown deepened. "Bryan, it's not like that."

By now, Tala and Kai had heard the shouting and had run into the kitchen. They both just stood in shock as the falcon kept shouting angry words and the tiger kept trying to explain. Unfortunately, Bryan wasn't listening to anything.

"Forget it Rei. If you want to let him take advantage you, go for it. But don't expect me to stand here and watch you do it." Bryan finally stormed out of the kitchen up to his room.

Kai ran for Rei when he saw the tears begin to fall. He reached the kitten just in time to catch him as his knees fell out from underneath him. Kai eased them both down to the kitchen floor. Rei continued to cry into Kai's chest as Tala sat down on his other side and wrapped his arms around them both, whispering soothing words into the tiger's ears. "It's going to be ok Rei. Bryan's just jealous of Josh and he's not thinking straight. Give him time. He'll realize what he's done and he'll apologize until he's blue in the face."

Rei continued to sob into Kai's shoulder. "He wouldn't even listen to me. Yes, Josh tried to kiss me, but I pushed him away and told him I didn't want a relationship like that with him and he listened. He told me that he thought Bryan and I were already together. I told him we weren't and he told me we should be. Why would he tell me to give things a chance with Bryan if he wanted to take advantage of me? Bryan wouldn't even listen to me. He wouldn't let me explain."

Kai rubbed his hand over Rei's back. "It's okay Rei. I think it's time to call it a night though. Why don't you sleep with Tala and I tonight? I don't think you should be alone."

Rei just nodded as Tala helped him stand and guided him up stairs. Kai went into the living room to turn off the television and pick up Flare. The kitten looked a little spooked after hearing the raised voices. Kai held him securely in his arms and headed up the stairs. He paused at Bryan's door and knocked. "Bryan, can I come in for a minute?" Kai asked softly through the door.

"Go away Kai. I don't want to talk tonight. Maybe I'll talk tomorrow, but not tonight. Please. Just leave me alone for now."

"Alright" Kai answered softly. Flare mewled softly from his arms. Kai understood and set the kitten down at the foot of the door. "Watch over him Flare. Take care of our Falcon tonight." Kai smiled and headed to his own room, leaving the door cracked so that Flare could slide in to be with Rei if he so chose. When he entered the room he noticed that Rei had already cried himself to sleep. Kai slid into bed on Rei's other side and together they surrounded him in a cocoon of body heat.

Tala frowned at his lover. "They can't pull away from each other Kai. We have to help them fix this. Bryan has to see reason. Once he knows that it's him that Rei wants he'll feel so stupid."

Kai nodded and ran his fingers through Rei's hair. "He can't go through that depression again so quickly. He was just pulling himself out of it. Somehow, we will fix this. Maybe he'll see his mistake himself. He was just jealous. He'll see it when he calms down." They both wrapped their arms securely around the tiger, hoping he would at least sleep through the night.

Down the hall, Flare scratched on the door in front of him. When he didn't get a reaction, he mewled at it and continued scratching. After a few moments, Bryan finally opened the door with teary eyes. He looked down to see the orange kitten looking up at him. "Oh, Flare, what have I done?" Bryan bent down and picked the kitten up. He left his door cracked open just in case Flare wanted to be with Rei at any point in the night. The night before, he had slept through the night in his bed. But the night before, he also had Rei in his bed all night. Crying to himself over the angry words he had shouted at the tiger, he held Flare close as he curled back into the bed and cried himself to sleep.


	9. What once was lost, Now is Found

The time has come. The last chapter is here. I apologize for the time it has taken but life has been really hectic for the last year actually. I lost my grandmother in January, my grandfather at the beginning of September, finished my last full semester at the college before I try to transfer, and I was in a car accident at the end of November that totaled my car. Thankfully everyone was alright, but after September I kind of lost track of this story and focused on other writing. I do apologize to those who have stuck with it. I hope I have gotten back into my writing grove but I couldn't think of anywhere else to take this story without butchering it, so here's the last chapter. 

Chapter 9: What once was lost, now is found

Tala groaned as he slowly returned to the waking world. He frowned when he opened his eyes and found their tiger still sleeping between him and his phoenix. He had hoped that at some point Rei might wake up and try to crawl into Bryan's room like he had already done several times during previous nights. As he watched the sleeping tiger in front of him, he felt a hand brush a lock of hair away from his face. He gazed over at the red eyes looking back into his own blue ones.

"The kitten was in no shape to make that move pup."

Tala sighed. "I know. I was just hoping that maybe Bryan would come to his senses last night and realize his mistake. I know he doesn't really want to hurt Rei, he's just blind right now."

Kai gently shifted himself away from the other two men occupying the bed. "Well, I left Flare at Bryan's door last night. Based on the fact that he isn't in here at the moment, he must have gotten into Bryan's room. He wouldn't have slept by himself all night in the hallway. That cat is just as much of a heat leach as our tiger hear."

Tala nodded in agreement. "So, Bryan had to have wanted and accepted some kind of company last night. Practically this whole past week that Rei has been here they've shared a room."

It was Kai's turn to nod in agreement. "You watch over Rei. I'm going to peek in on Bryan. He would have left his door cracked for Flare to seek out Rei."

Tala nodded and pulled Rei in closer, tucking the blankets tight to compensate for the lack of Kai's warmth.

* * *

Kai softly padded down the hall to Bryan's room. He noticed the door opened just a crack and slowly pushed it open further. He found Flare curled up against Bryan's chest as the falcon lay curled in on himself. Kai had only ever seen Bryan this protective of himself once. That had been when the falcon had first arrived at the abbey when they were younger. Ever since then, Bryan had been the strong one of the group. Seeing him like this again was hard on the phoenix.

Kai made his way over to the bed and sat down against Bryan's back. Flare peeked up and over the falcon's waist before meowing at the phoenix. Kai reached over to pet the orange fur ball gently on the head before the cat jumped off the bed and ran out the door. Kai assumed that he had run off to find Rei and returned his gaze to the falcon beside him. He gently brushed Bryan's bangs back behind his ear as he watched the falcon.

Feeling the friendly fingers slide behind his ear, Bryan turned over slowly and opened his eyes to see who had entered his room. He frowned and buried his head back into the pillow, turning away from Kai once again.

"I don't want to talk Kai. Just leave me alone."

Kai slid himself down to lay beside his friend. "I think you need to talk Bryan."

"No, I don't. Now go away."

"I love you like a brother Bryan, but I will not let you do this to Rei. He doesn't deserve it."

Bryan only lifted his head slightly. "How is he?"

Kai frowned and sat up again at the foot of the bed. The falcon obviously wasn't going to make this easy. "I don't think I want to tell you that. Your actions last night towards him, tell me that you don't really care."

Bryan snapped up, letting his anger return to the front of his mind. "If I didn't care then I wouldn't have said anything. We're here to help him right? I don't think helping him entails letting him discover every fan out there that wants to take advantage of him."

Kai's frown deepened. "What makes you think Josh was trying to take advantage of him? Rei is a good judge of character. He doesn't seem to think Josh is that kind of person."

"Rei also isn't thinking right. He's been depressed since who knows when. That's the reason you brought him back here Kai."

Kai just sat and stared at Bryan in shock. "Bryan I didn't bring him here to lock him away. He needs us, yes. But he needs to find other friends too."

"He doesn't know what people can be like Kai. He trusted this Kai so easily. He doesn't even know him and he trusts him like they've known each other forever."

"Bryan, if he treated people like you want him to, he would never have trusted you and Tala enough to come here. He'd still be in China. He may have even dropped to a desperate and dangerous level. He's gotten very close to you Bryan. Why all of a sudden are you acting like this towards him?"

Bryan stood from the bed and began pacing. "He's only known the guy for a day. Yesterday was the second time they had met each other and he's letting this guy kiss him. How can he trust so easily? I don't want to see him get hurt Kai but he is throwing himself out there for anyone who comes along."

Kai slid to the edge of the bed and laid his arms over his knees. "You need to stop that train of thought right now Bryan or I will not hold myself responsible for my actions. You say you don't want to hurt him but yet you want to lock him away from the world that he needs to be a part of. That's why he came here Bryan. He wanted to escape the life of a small enclosed village Bryan. I will not leave him trapped in this house. You are hurting him whether you acknowledge it or not and I will not allow you to continue to do so."

Bryan stopped pacing at the firm command in Kai's voice. Kai had always been dominant over the group, but now Bryan was being singled out of the group. He had never been on the receiving end of Kai's anger. "Kai, I don't mean…"

"No Bryan. I don't even want to hear it. I thought you would have pulled around on your own last night, but obviously I need to help you along. All I want to hear from you now is what is really going on?" What happened yesterday? Why did you act like that to Rei?"

Bryan just frowned and turned away from Kai. "Forget it Kai. I don't want to talk about it, ok?"

"Well tough. You had the opportunity and from they way you're acting this morning, you just passed it by. I'm taking control of this situation now before anyone gets hurt worse. Now tell me what happened yesterday. What really made you go off like that?"

Kai was surprised when Bryan simply slid to the floor in front of him and wrapped his arms around his waist. Kai gently returned the embrace and held Bryan's head to his stomach. "I can't let you turn away from this one Bry. Not when this involves both of you so deeply. There are some things that you need to hear before you completely walk away from this. It won't disappear. I love you both like brothers, but if you walk away from this now, walk away and leave Rei like this, I can't let you try again. I can't let him go back down the road he was on. I can't take seeing him like he was in the village again. If you walk away now, you walk away for good. You'll be giving up something that could have been wonderful for the both of you."

Bryan looked up. "I didn't mean to hurt him Kai. I swear I didn't. When he told me about lunch yesterday, all I could see was the possibility of him getting hurt. I just wanted to protect him but things got out of hand. I know I said some things I shouldn't have. I just can't stand to sit here and watch him get hurt."

"It's only a probability Bryan. This guy could be a good friend for Rei. If that's the case, you can't lock him away from this opportunity. You will only cause pain for him that way and he will come to resent you for it. I don't want to see that happen."

Bryan turned again to face Kai with confusion written all over his face. "You heard him last night. There's no place for me anyway."

Kai smiled at the falcon's slip and pulled him in close. "You think entirely too much Bryan. I think you're the one who didn't hear things last night. Try listening to what the kitten was trying to tell you. You were so busy reading what wasn't between the lines, that you didn't hear what was being said plain as day. Like I said, there are things you need to hear yet. It's not my place to tell you, but you need to hear it. Stay home today. You and Rei need to talk."

"I can't face him Kai. Not this soon. I screwed up yelling at him like that. I said things that I knew would hurt him so badly. I practically called him a whore."

"Then why did you say it Bryan? If you knew it would hurt him, if you didn't think there was a place for you, why did you get upset and hurt him like that. If you care for him as much as you say, then all you would really want for him is to be happy."

Bryan stared sightlessly into Kai's chest. "Because all I saw was red. Even though I knew he could do better, I had hoped so much that there would be a chance. This last week I've seen things in myself that I thought I would never see again. It's been like starting over for me. All of a sudden a whole new set of doors opened for me. Then he told me about Josh and I saw red. I knew there wasn't a chance. It hurt to think that he had actually found something better than me. It hurt to think that there really was something better for him. I felt every door slam right back in my face. It was like something was trying to tell me that I really can't do any better for myself than the abbey. I slipped back into my old self. I hurt and I wanted him to feel that hurt. I did exactly what I was afraid of doing to him."

Kai frowned and lifted Bryan's chin up to face him. "You have to watch that Bryan. You can't make Rei hurt every time that you do. It's not fair to him and it will only make things worse between you two. If you don't talk to him, he will continue hurting like this, and so will you. You both have healing to do. You need to learn to trust those around you too. You thought with your head and not your heart. You're head told you Rei would hurt you and you pushed him away. You need to resolve this as soon as you can. Trust me Bryan. You two just need to talk and you need to listen this time around. You can trust him, he won't hurt you. Last night, Rei was hurt more by the fact that you wouldn't listen to him than he was by what you said and how you treated him."

"He doesn't hate me after what I did?"

Kai shook his head. "I don't think he could ever truly hate you Bryan. Rei wasn't mad, he was upset. He's trying to figure out what he did wrong. As far as Rei knows, you hate him. You two need to talk so that he can understand that no one did anything wrong. It was a misunderstanding."

"I don't want him to blame himself. I just don't know if I can fix it. I just don't feel like I can trust Josh. It's not an issue of Rei, its Josh. How can Rei be so certain that he's a good guy? That Josh won't take advantage of him because of who he is to the public?"

Kai leaned his head against the top of Bryan's. "Why are you so certain he's a bad guy Bryan? Maybe after you talk things out with Rei, you should find Josh and have a talk with him. It seems that Rei has found a good friend in Josh, and he isn't going away any time soon. You two need to sort things out for Rei's sake. He can't choose between you and I don't feel he should. Talk to them both Bryan. If you need reassurance on Josh's behalf, find him and talk to him. Talk to Josh yourself and ask what his intentions are towards Rei. Rei is a good judge of character. Trust him. There has to be a reason for Rei to choose to stay in touch."

Bryan simply nodded and pulled away from the phoenix.

Kai smiled and stood from the bed. "Take a nice warm shower and stay home today. Take it slowly with Rei." Bryan again shook his head and headed towards his private bathroom. Kai softly closed the door and left the falcon to ponder his morning.

* * *

As Tala and Kai left for work that morning, Rei remained curled up with Flare in their room for a little while. After an hour or so, Bryan decided it was time to make breakfast for himself and Rei. Hopefully the tiger would feel like eating and find it in him to join Bryan instead of avoiding him. With intentions of luring Rei downstairs, Bryan decided to make one of his favorite breakfast foods, pancakes. Not long after the smell had circulated through the house, than Rei slowly edged his way into the kitchen. Bryan tried to offer an apologetic smile, but Rei refused to look at him. They both sat quietly through breakfast. Bryan continued to try to speak with Rei but the tiger kept his gaze steadily on his plate, remaining silent.

By the time they finished their breakfast, neither one had said a word. As Rei stood from the table, he passed by Bryan in order to place his dishes in the sink. On his way back towards the door, Bryan finally awoke from his daze and reached out for Rei's hand.

"Rei, wait, please!" Rei simply stood there, without turning to face Bryan. Bryan stood from his chair. "Look, Rei, about last night…"

"Now you want to talk? Or would you like to throw more criticism at me? Am I a whore now?" Rei replied calmly.

"No Rei, please, I didn't mean it like that."

"Then how did you mean it Bryan? Did you think I was just looking for anyone to fill my time? Did you think that I had sunk so low?"

"I thought nothing of the sort Rei. I know you're better than that."

"Are you sure Bryan? Were you just upset you haven't gotten your turn with me? Is that what it was about? Josh stole a kiss and you're jealous? Have you been waiting for your turn with the tiger Bryan?"

Bryan was surprised by the coldness in the tiger's voice. "Rei, I didn't mean to imply anything like that. Look, yes, I find you attractive, and yes I was jealous, but it's not like you think."

At this point, Rei turned to face Bryan with tears in his eyes. "Then why, Bryan? Why don't you trust me? Why did you refuse to listen to me last night? You say you trust me and yet you wouldn't even listen to me. You thought I was just making excuses. I was trying to explain to you and you just shut me out. My word meant absolutely nothing to you last night Bryan. What did I do to make you think so little of me?"

Bryan wrapped his arms around Rei's waist and pulled him close. "I'm so sorry Rei. I know it's not an excuse but I slipped back into my old self. I was just so mad and hurt that he tried something with you and yet you still trust him. I told you that you deserved better than this Rei. Why do you allow me to stay so close? I'm so sorry. I don't want you to hurt like this. I pushed you away last night because I didn't want to be the one hurt.

I care so much about you and I was afraid that you had actually found something that would be better for you than me and I didn't want to be hurt by it. Instead I hurt you so badly. I was wrong last night Rei and I'm truly sorry for it."

Rei wrapped his arms around Bryan's shoulders and leaned his head on the falcon's chest. "I told him no, Bryan. He understood that I wasn't interested and didn't try anything further. He obeyed my wishes and didn't pursue anything further. That is why I continue to trust him the way I do."

Bryan pulled away from Rei far enough to look down at him. "I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you Rei. You're right. I should have trusted you."

Rei looked up at Bryan. "You need to hear something else Bryan. I wasn't interested in him because… because I can't picture my life without you beside me."

Bryan gently leaned his forehead against Rei's "I am so sorry for the things that I have said."

Rei closed his eyes as he felt Bryan's hesitant breath against his face. "Just please don't turn away from me again. I couldn't take it again. I couldn't stand to lose you Bryan. You're too important to me."

"Please, forgive me for the wrongs I have done you."

Rei pulled back to look into the eyes of his falcon. "There is nothing to forgive Bryan. There is only acceptance to let me in."

Bryan stood gazing into the kitten's eyes for a mere moment before his lips gently met Rei's. The tiger stood in shock at first, but soon returned the kiss. Once Bryan felt Rei respond, he moaned softly, placing a palm to the tiger's cheek and tilting his head to deepen the kiss. Bryan felt Rei's arms tighten around his shoulders as the tiger whimpered in his hold. The reaction he was receiving from the tiger only provoked the falcon further. He slid his hands slowly down the tigers sides and wrapped each hand around each upper thigh, lifting the tiger from the floor. Rei immediately wrapped his legs around Bryan's waist for support. Bryan slowly backed his away across the kitchen until he reached the counter. He turned and eased Rei down to sit on the countertop as he slowly broke his lips away from the tiger's.

"Bryan?" Rei gasped as he leaned his forehead against Bryan's.

"Yeah, there was definitely something there."

Rei laughed gently. "You only felt something?"

Bryan smirked. "Ok, there was definitely a lot there." Bryan quickly leant back down to crush his mouth against the tiger's. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. Everything was right as long as they had each other. Bryan shuddered as Rei's hands found their way underneath his sweater.

Slowly, the passion began to dwindle from the kiss as both began to separate for much needed oxygen.

"You can't understand how long I've wanted to do that."

"Wow, If there was any doubt before, there's none there now. I think next time, Falcon; you should shut up and let your actions do the talking. I don't think I could misread that if I wanted to." Rei laughed.

Bryan smiled and wrapped his arms around Rei, pulling him in closer. "Actually, I think there is a little bit more talking I still need to do."

Ray pulled away with a questioning look.

"I think I need to have a few words with Josh." Bryan explained.

"Bryan, really, I thought we had settled this. Josh understands that I'm not interested in him. He thought I was already involved with you after I turned him down. There's nothing to worry about."

Bryan placed a finger to Rei's lips. "I don't need to talk to him about his intentions towards you. I need to talk to him about mine towards you. He deserves to know you as we do, and you deserve to have a friend that's not part of the beyblading world. If he is going to be a part of your life as a friend here, I think we should get to know each other a little better. I owe him an apology for thinking so little of him without knowing him."

Rei smiled and kissed his falcon one more time before easing himself away from the couch. "I need to go get ready to go to the restaurant for a little bit. Why don't you find Josh in that time and have a talk with him? He should be either going on lunch or at least getting a break. I'd like very much for my new boyfriend to escort me to work so that I can show him off."

Bryan grinned as Rei slid off of the counter. "I'd be happy to escort you, love, but don't push it. I'm more open with you, not the public."

* * *

Rei didn't take very long to get himself ready for the afternoon. He hoped everything would go well between Josh and Bryan. He didn't see a reason why they shouldn't be able to be civil if not friendly towards each other. Bryan's biggest problem had apparently been jealousy. Things were quite clear to all involved now as to where Rei's interest lay. He jumped only slightly when his cell phone rang on the counter. He quickly crossed the room to answer it. "Rei speaking," he answered.

"Rei, Are you home? I hoped you were but I wasn't sure." Kai asked hesitantly on the other end.

Rei smiled at the concern in the phoenix's voice. "Yeah, I'm at home still. Everything's ok, Kai. We talked after breakfast."

Kai smiled from the other end. "I'm glad to hear it. I wanted to check up on you to make sure. Is he taking you to work then? I'm still not sure I like you being out and about alone quite yet. I told him to stay home today so you guys could talk things out but if you have taken care of everything already then he can take you. He has nothing else to do today. I'd rather he be there to help you get comfortable with where you're going."

Rei laughed through the phone. "Yes, he's taking me to work. While I'm there, he's going to find Josh so they can talk things out between them. Thank you Kai."

"There's nothing to thank me for."

"Bryan wouldn't have come around completely on his own Kai. I heard some of the yelling this morning. At the least someone had to have given him a little push into talking things out. You said yourself that you told him to stay home today, so, thank you. I think things will be much better from now on."

Kai smiled at the implied meaning. "No problem kitten. Can you just do a favor for me and keep it mellow around the wolf? He doesn't need any more inspiration or influence."

Rei blushed and laughed once more. "Alright Kai, I really have to go now though. Bryan's calling and I have to get to work. I'll see you when you get home."

"Alright, we'll see you when we get home. Behave yourselves."

Rei laughed as he heard the phone disconnect and wandered downstairs to meet Bryan at the door.

* * *

"Thank you for bringing me Bryan. Even more so, thank you, for working things out between you and Josh. That really means a lot to me."

Bryan slid his arm around Rei's waist as they made their way down the walkway in the mall. Rei huddled closer to Bryan's side, using the busy walkway as an excuse to be so close to the falcon.

"There's nothing to thank me for, Rei. I should have done this before but I was too stubborn and closed minded."

Rei turned to look at Bryan as they reached the restaurant. "It still means a lot to me Bryan. It shows that you are pulling out of your shell, and that will only be good for you."

Bryan wrapped his arms around the tiger and hugged him tightly. "I'll be back in an hour or so when I finish talking with Josh, okay?"

Rei smiled against the falcon's chest. "I'll wait right here for you if I finish everything before you get back. I shouldn't be here long today. They just want to get paperwork filled out."

"No problem. I'll be back in awhile, take your time."

Rei waved one last time and Bryan continued to watch him until he disappeared around the corner of the kitchen. Once the tiger was out of sight, he turned around and headed towards the other end of the mall. Rei had said that Josh worked in one of the game shops on the other end. It didn't take him long to spot Josh through one of the windows as he strolled down the hallway. He took a few moments to take in the scene of the other man laughing and joking with one of his fellow associates behind a counter. The store didn't appear too busy so he figured it wouldn't be too hard to get him away for a little bit.

Josh spotted him as soon as he walked into the store and smiled. "Bryan. How are you? Talk about coincidence. Who would have thought I would see you guys so much in just a couple of days."

Bryan looked around the store, now feeling nervous. "Actually it's not so much a coincidence. I know you had lunch with Rei yesterday. That's actually part of why I came to see you today. He told me you worked here. Is it possible for you to take some time to talk with me?"

Josh frowned and looked at his coworker. "Jim, are you okay if I take lunch now?"

The other man behind the counter simply shook his head in approval. Josh locked his station and stepped out from behind the counter. "Thanks."

He then turned to Bryan and gestured for him to go ahead of him. "Please, after you, Bryan. What did you need to talk to me about?"

Bryan hesitated as they continued side by side towards the food court. "I actually came to talk to you about Rei, and to apologize."

Josh looked at him, confused. "Why do you need to apologize?"

Bryan hesitated while they placed their order and received their food. When they sat down he looked down at his food, avoiding the other man's eyes. "I judged you without knowing you yesterday."

Josh received a confused look from Bryan when he groaned aloud. "Rei told you about lunch yesterday, didn't he?"

"Did you not want him to tell me about your meeting?" Bryan raised an eyebrow at the other man.

"It's not that I didn't want him to tell you about it. I had just been hoping that it wouldn't have the affects that it has apparently had. Look, you don't have to worry."

"I know. You don't have to go into it. Rei and I talked this morning. That's why I wanted to apologize for judging you."

"So you guys worked things out? You aren't jealous? You aren't mad at me?"

"No, I'm not upset anymore. Like I said, I'm sorry for judging you."

"Bryan, did you guys talk about everything? Tell me you did."

Bryan nodded and continued to look at his plate. "We did. We're together now."

"I'm happy to hear it Bryan. I could tell when I first saw you two that there was something between you, but I couldn't tell what."

Bryan frowned. "I just hope I can be what he wants. I don't want to hurt him again. I hurt him so badly last night when I got jealous over the kiss."

Josh blushed slightly at the reference. "Umm, I'm sorry about that Bryan. I promise it won't happen again. I won't cross lines you don't feel comfortable with. I don't want to come in between you guys. He really cares for you. I don't want him to lose that."

Bryan looked up at Josh then. "Actually, I want you to stay close to him. I got my lesson this morning. I was lucky that he would talk to me this morning. I don't want to see him hurt like that. I can guarantee that I'll never hurt him on purpose, but I still might hurt him accidentally. I can't control that. I want him to have someone he can talk to that doesn't live in the same house. Rei needs a friend that he can talk to, and Kai and Tala don't deserve to be put in the middle like they were."

Josh smiled. "Bryan, if you care enough to tell me that, then you guys shouldn't have any major problems. Every couple has their small differences. Besides, I hope you'll eventually consider me your friend too."

Bryan nodded and they both remained quiet until they had finished their food and Josh's lunch break was over. As they stood to empty their trash, Bryan caught Josh's attention. "Thank you, Josh, for being there for Rei when I wasn't."

Josh smiled. "It was nothing Bryan. I just gave him a shove in the right direction. I wish you guys well."

Bryan nodded and the two men split into their different directions. When Bryan got back to the restaurant, Rei was just finishing with his paperwork. The tiger easily slid into the welcoming embrace of the falcon. "How was lunch?" he asked quietly.

Bryan tightened his hold on the tiger. "It went well. Josh and I worked out our differences. And he knows that when we disagree and I'm being a total jerk and not listening, he has full permission to knock some sense into me."

Rei smiled as the two headed towards the exit and then the car. "Hmm, I'll have to remember that for the next time."

The two shared a quiet laugh and exited the mall.

* * *

"Congratulations!"

Rei barely had time to brace himself inside the door before he found his arms full with a redheaded wolf. "Well, good evening Tala. You're in a good mood."

Tala smiled as he pulled away from the tiger. "And why shouldn't I be? You guys worked things out this morning and you're both happy. That makes me happy." Tala frowned though when he looked past Rei and saw the other Russian. "Should you ever pull that stunt again, I will not hesitate to sit you down myself and force some sense into you." The wolf then smiled and wrapped his arms around the falcon. "I'm glad you came around Bry. I'm happy for the both of you. Now come on, we picked up Chinese for dinner on the way home. Kai has everything set up in the living room."

The trio made their way into the living room to find Kai curled in one of the chairs with Flare and food spread all over the small table in the middle of the room.

Rei laughed when he heard the contented purr coming from the kitten. "I see he found another friend."

Kai scowled. "The brat hasn't left my side since we got home. He's not a very independent cat, is he?" Flare simply meowed at Kai when he shifted the kitten out of his lap. It only took a few seconds for Flare to realize that Rei had come home and was seated on the couch. Flare quickly ran to the couch and made himself comfortable in Rei's lap.

Bryan laughed and slid onto the couch beside the tiger and rubbed the orange cat behind the ears. "He still knows who his favorite is though."

All four made themselves comfortable eating dinner and watching movies for the rest of the evening. No one felt the stress of worry any more. Things had worked out in the end. Rei never thought he would have found himself staying in Russia, but now as he lay curled in the arms of his falcon, he looked around the room. Tala had slid himself into the chair with Kai and the two were curled comfortably together. As he took in the scene, he found that he felt more at home here than he had anywhere in his whole life. His teammate, captain, and friend had brought him here, and here he knew he would stay, for he couldn't picture himself anywhere else now except in the presence of the phoenix, the wolf, and his falcon.

The End


End file.
